🦄UNICORN CUPCAKES

gf chocolate cupcakes with raspberry-blueberry-vanilla swirl buttercream

No worries people, no unicorns were harmed in the making of these cupcakes.

My baby is 11 years old and this is the 2nd batch of gf chocolate cupcakes I made for her birthday.  The first batch was with a simple vanilla buttercream and she brought all 24 to share with her class on her birthday.  Her pal is Celiac as is another child in the class so I made sure to make everything gluten free (and no nuts of course).  My daughter is allergic to nuts and so are several children in the school.

extra shiny bling from colourful dragees. I don't like their crunch but they sure are pretty

This 2nd batch of cupcakes was for her birthday party on the weekend.  We went to The Luminous Elephant and she and her gal pals made bath bombs, sang karaoke, nibbled on snacks and ate these Unicorn Cupcakes.  

there are no artificial colours in the buttercream frosting! I used organic blueberry and raspberry powders for intense flavour and gorgeous natural colour

Some of the girls were in her class and had tasted the 1st batch; so I asked which they preferred.  They all chimed at once "these!" The frosting tastes SO good!  

I had butterfly pea flower and could have made a blue buttercream too and now I'm slightly disappointed I forgot to use that too. Oh well, 3 colours is enough lol!

In fact, I have green (spinach powder), orange (carrot powder) and red (beet powder) but was hesitant to use veggie flavours because y'know kids might detect the veggies in their buttercream! Maybe next time I'll be more daring haha!

the tri-coloured swirl effect was so pretty

GF CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH UNICORN BERRY-SWIRL FROSTING

(adapted from Barefoot Contessa's "Beatty's Chocolate Cake")

• 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour [I used Namaste gf flour]
• 2 cups organic evaporated cane sugar
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup organic buttermilk [or 1 cup organic milk & 1 tablespoon lemon juice mixed with milk to acidulate]
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 2 extra large free range  eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 shots espresso in a measuring cup; topped up with hot water to make 1 cup coffee

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

• 2 Muffin tins
• 24 large/extra large paper cupcake liners

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 muffin tins by lining with 24 large-extra large cupcake liners
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. 
3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the hot coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. 
5. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

UNICORN BERRY-SWIRL FROSTING

• 4 Cups confectioner's sugar
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 teaspoon organic raspberry powder
• 1 teaspoon organic blueberry powder

1. In an electric mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth
2. Add the confectioner’s sugar 1/2 cup at a time
3. Add vanilla extract and gradually add milk until the buttercream is at a consistency that is not too stiff. Continue beating for 5-7 minutes at medium speed until light in colour
4. Divide the buttercream into 3 different bowls.  In one bowl, add the raspberry powder and mix well until combined.
5. In another bowl, add the blueberry powder and mix well until combined.
6. Prepare a large pastry bag by scooping the 3 different coloured buttercreams inside
7. Pipe/swirl the buttercream on the tops of the cooled cupcakes

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JAPANESE CHEESECAKE

• 250 g cream cheese
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 100 ml fresh milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 g cake flour
• 20 g cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 140 g granulated sugar

Special Equipment: 1 8-inch x 3-inch round cake tin; 1 larger 9 or 10-inch round cake tin for the water bath.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.  Melt the cream cheese, butter and milk over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from heat and pour into another bowl. Mix in the egg yolks, lemon juice, vanilla and combine well. Sift in the dry ingredients; folding in the flour, the cornstarch and salt (see below for a video on how to combine the ingredients.
2. In a stand mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form, approximately 6-8 minutes (speed 8 on Kitchenaid)
3. Take 1/3 meringue and fold into the cheese mixture, then fold in another 1/3 of meringue. After incorporated, pour the batter back to the remaining 1/3 meringue and FOLD GENTLY.  Use an 8 inch diameter by 3 inch tall cake tin lined with parchment paper (line with a circle on the bottom and a strip along the sides, ensuring that the parchment strip extends well above the rim of the cake tin.) Pour the batter into the lined cake tin. 
4. Create a bain marie (water bath). Place the filled cake tin into a 9 or 10 inch diameter cake tin lined with a small kitchen towel to ensure that the bottom bakes evenly. Fill the outer tin with hot water so that the cheesecake rests inside a water bath. Bake cheesecake on lower 1/3 of oven in the water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F). Turn off oven and leave door ajar so the cake can cool inside for one hour.
5. Remove cheesecake from the oven; remove from the bain marie and allow to cool on a wire rack. Using your hands, gently turn the cheesecake upside down allowing the top of the cheesecake to rest onto an open hand. Gently peel the parchment paper from the cake and set right side up on a cooling rack. Optional: sift powdered sugar and matcha onto the surface of the cheesecake. Refrigerate if desired; or serve warm with whipped cream and fruit

I made a matcha flavoured Japanese cheesecake too! 

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Marie-Hélène's Apple Cake

Marie-Hélène's Apple Cake

Sweet September

APPLE PICKING AT WILLOW VIEW FARMS IN ABBOTSFORD

ELSTAR APPLES! A VARIETY OF GOLDEN DELICIOUS AND ORANGE PIPPIN, THE FLESH IS CRISP AND SWEET

WE SNAGGED A FEW OF THE REMAINING PEARS LEFT ON THE TREES FORTUNATELY

NESTLED IN THE CROOK OF THE PLUM TREE WAS A BIRD'S NEST

BLUE DOLL PUMPKIN! THE FLESH IS DEEP ORANGE AND I'M MAKING SOUP WITH THIS BABY

WE PICKED SOME PLUMS (OF WHICH THERE WERE ONLY A FEW REMAINING IN ARM'S REACH), BOUGHT SOME SQUASH AND SOME CORN TOO

PREPARING THE BATTER FOR THE APPLE CAKE: EGGS, EVAPORATED CANE SUGAR AND VANILLA

I HAVE 3 VARIETIES OF APPLES PREPARED FOR THE CAKE

THE APPLES ARE LEFT IN LARGE CHUNKS SO YOU CAN REALLY TASTE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE VARIETIES

THE BATTER IS POURED INTO A SPRINGFORM PAN 

FRESH OUT OF THE OVEN!

THIS APPLE CAKE SMELLS OF FALL

ENJOY THE RECIPE! IT'S EASY AND MAKES USE OF A GOOD NUMBER OF APPLES; HIGHLIGHTING THE QUALITY OF THE APPLES AND THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES.  SERVE WARM WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM OR PLAIN WITH A CUP OF TEA.

MARIE-HELENE'S APPLE CAKE
from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 large apples (if you can, choose 4 different kinds)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the springform on it.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
3. Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores.  Cut the apples into 1 to 2 inch chunks.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until they’re foamy.  Pour in the sugar and whisk for a minute or so to blend.  Whisk in the rum and vanilla.  Whisk in half the flour and, when it is incorporated, add half the  melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour and the remaining butter, mixing gently after each addition so that you have a smooth, rather thick batter.  Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in teh apples, turning the fruit so that it’s coated with batter.  Scrape the mix into the pan and poke it around a little with the spatula so that it’s evenish.
5. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean; the cake may pull away from the sides of the pan.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.
6. Carefully run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan.  (Open the springform slowly, and before it’s fully opened, make sure there aren’t any apples stuck to it.)  Allow the cake to cool until it is just slightly warm or at room temperature.  If you want to remove the cake from the bottom of the springform pan, wait until the cake is almost cooled, then run a long spatula between the cake and the pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack.  Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving dish.

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VEGAN MATCHA CACAO CAKE

Organic Vegan Matcha and Cacao Cake

Dabbling in the Dark Arts:  vegan baking! ;)

I'm detoxifying from my 8 days of over-indulgence in Cancun, Mexico at one of the best all-inclusive resorts I've visited.  The Club Med we stayed at had so many activities that there was something for everybody: archery, trapeze, sailing, SUP, tennis...

We did it all...and of course I spent the first 2 days sleeping on the beach just to catch up on missed relaxation time! The food was very good too!  I tried my best to eat healthy, gf & all that.  By the 4th day, I was pretty much sick of the buffet lines and was mostly eating from the salad area.  But hey, what's a vacation if you don't eat dessert right?  I had my fair share of flan and tiny portioned dainty cakes & desserts too.  Skip to the recipe on the bottom if you don't want to hear about my back woes! lol.

Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha is sifted over the cake after removal from the springform pan

I think I was pretty good with my workouts though!  I worked out every day except for the day we went to visit Tulum.  On the last day, I worked our for 2 1/2 hours in the morning and I was pretty much practicing IF.  I was doing fasted workouts:  weights, kettlebells and some cardio on the elliptical or treadmill to finish up. Then I would join my fam for lunch at the buffet for my first meal of the day.  I was down to 2 meals because frankly, I wasn't that hungry considering each meal was a buffet bonanza.  Unfortunately,  on the last day, I tweaked my back reaching for the two 25 lb dumbbells.  I felt a sort of a pop (ugh).  It was not great on the plane ride home and upon waking up in Vancouver on the first day back home, I could barely walk.  Yesterday I did some self-adjustments (lying on the ground, knees up, pushing/pulling on my knees alternately using my own musculature, mobility and strength to try to realign my spine & pelvis).  Today I visited my friend who is a chiropractor and I'm feeling a lot better but I've got to keep up those stretches.

Since my garden's frozen, I used dried rosebuds to decorate. The petals are crispy & add a floral scent

My GP's advice is to try low carbing it to lose more weight (it's dang difficult with Hashimoto's disease) despite my working out several hours every week consistently. Also, I have a feeling he's going to be putting me on iron supplements again.  I try to eat more protein because of this (I'm not vegan...sorry, it would compromise my health which is pretty wonky as it is).  My blood work I had done recently showed I was iron deficient :(   I told him I was losing lots of hair for the past year and bit and ya know, I used to have tons of hair before all my thyroid issues.   It sux.  Everything about Hashi's sux. Especially trying to figure out on my own what works and doesn't work with feeling optimally healthy.  I know for sure I've built up lots of muscle this past year.  The other day, I had to scratch my tricep area. Dang if I didn't feel surprised as I hit hard muscle! ya! No batwings for this English teacher.  One thing I'd like to avoid is having the waggling triceps I've witnessed in my youth as teachers wrote on the blackboard. *horrors!* lol

A hot sharp knife creates a clean cut with this frozen raw vegan cake

This raw vegan nice-cream cake is a good start to me re-igniting that low-carb lifestyle I used to lead. It's been so hard with trying to be gluten free that I didn't think I could take away even more from my diet.  My fave cruciferous veggies which was my primary diet prior to Hashi's have been put on the "moderation" list now because of all the goitrogens.  This cake has nuts, which my kid is allergic to...but I'll be working on another (better! new improved!) recipe to try to get rid of the nuts so that we can enjoy eating a cake together.  If it's not one thing it's another, eh?   So the holy grail of my life is a cake that is: low carb/ketogenic, nut free & gluten free.  It would be nice if it could be vegan too. But I am thinking it'll be difficult without the nuts.   Stay tuned for more experiments!  I have a ton of flavour variations planned and I'm going to get rid of the bananas and make this creamier like a cheesecake but without nuts! ya! no kidding! and pie! yes...for my pie-loving friends! gf, vegan, dairy free pie coming up next :)

A slice of zen. This little cake makes you feel all self-righteous and healthy. The tiny slice I had with my espresso is low  carb, paleo, ketogenic, gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free and dairy-free.  

VEGAN MATCHA CACAO CAKE

Crust:

1/3 cup organic raw almonds

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil

2 medjool dates, pitted

a pinch of Pink Himalayan sea salt

Nice Cream Layers:

4 frozen bananas

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

optional: a bit of almond mylk, soy, coconut or regular milk, cream or water to get it going in the processor, if needed

Matcha Layer:

1 tsp organic ceremonial grade matcha; plus more for dusting the tops for serving

Cacao Layer:

1 tsp organic cacao powder

Special equipment:  

2 4-inch springform pans, lined with parchment circles

Crust:

1. Pulse the almonds, coconut oil and dates with a pinch of sea salt in a food processor [I used my Bullet] until the almonds are evenly ground and combined with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Divide the mixture between the two parchment-lined springform pans. Press the crust mixture into the bottoms of the two prepared springform pans. 
3. Place the pans into the freezer for 30 minutes, or until the crust is set.

Nice Cream Layers:

1. In a high-powered blender [I used my Vitamix] combine the frozen bananas, maple syrup and vanilla and pulse to combine.  If you find it difficult to get it going, add some liquid (any milk or water a teaspoon at a time) to get it going.  Increase speed and blend until smooth.
2. Divide the nice cream into 2 bowls
3. Matcha Layer: in a small bowl, mix a tiny bit of hot water with your matcha powder to make a runny paste and mix the paste into one of the nice cream bowls.  Thoroughly combine. Cover and reserve in refrigerator
4. Cacao Layer:  Mix the cacao powder with a tiny bit of hot water to make a runny paste and continue mixing until it's smooth.  Add this to the other bowl and combine thoroughly.
5. Pour the Cacao Layer onto the two prepared frozen almond/date crusts.  Place them back in freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until set.  I lightly touch the surface to ensure it has a solid surface before proceeding with the next step.
6. Take out the matcha layer bowl from the fridge and divide the contents equally amongst the two pans.  Place in the freezer for 4+ hours; freezing until firm
7. To serve:  Remove your springform rings from the bottoms and plate. Dust with the extra matcha powder (you can also dust with cacao powder).  Decorate with fresh berries or other fruit or flowers.  Allow the cakes to warm up for about 15 min at room temperature before serving.  If you want to cut the cakes, heat a sharp knife under hot water before slicing.  Keep uneaten cakes in freezer, covered until ready to serve.

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Happy Lunar New Year!

Celebrate with cake!

Happy Chinese New Year! 

Gung Hay Fat Choy!   Sun Neen Fai Lok!

It's the year of the rooster...and today married Chinese people everywhere are handing out red envelopes to kids.  So the kids are raking in the money$$$

My kid's birthday party is today and she wanted a DQ ice cream cake, which means pretty much nothing for me to blog about.  So I made my go-to cake for all-around snackin' while the kids indulged in their oreo blizzard ice cream cake.  

This Coconut Chiffon Cake is made from coconut oil instead of veg oil or butter, which gives it a nice light coconut scent and flavour.  Because I'm gluten intolerant (hello Hashimoto's disease...you suck) I used my current fave gf flour mix that I picked up from Costco in the States.  Costco Canada doesn't carry it here in Vancouver which is a shame. 

I wish you Health, Wealth & Happiness this Lunar year and may your celebrations be filled with a good amount of cake too!

Gluten Free Coconut Chiffon Cake with berries

COCONUT CHIFFON CAKE

(adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Master Recipe for Chiffon Cake)

• 1 ½ cups organic evaporated cane sugar
• 1 1/3 cups gluten free flour (measure unsifted) [I used Namaste flour I picked up at the Costco in Bellingham] 
• 2 tsp gf baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 7 large eggs, 2 left whole, 5 separated (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup water

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325°F. Whisk sugar, GF flour, psyllium husk powder, baking powder and salt together in large bowl (at least 4-quart size). Whisk in two whole eggs, five egg yolks (reserve whites), water, coconut oil and extract until batter is smooth.  I used a stick blender to blend the batter smooth.

2. Pour reserved egg whites into large bowl; beat at low speed with electric mixer until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar, gradually increase speed to medium-high, then beat whites until very thick and stiff, just short of dry, 9 to 10 minutes with handheld mixer or 5 to 7 minutes in standing mixer. With large whisk, fold whites into batter, smearing any blobs of white that resist blending. 
3. Pour batter into ungreased large tube pan (9 inch diameter, 16-cup capacity). 
4. Bake cake on lower middle rack in oven until wire cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 60-70 minutes [mine took 70 min]. Immediately turn cake upside down to cool. If pan does not have prongs around rim for elevating cake, invert pan over bottle or funnel, inserted through tube. Let cake hang until completely cook, about 2 hours. 
5. To unmold, turn pan upright. Run frosting spatula or thin knife around pan’s circumference between cake and pan wall, always pressing against the pan. Use cake tester to loosen cake from tube. For one-piece pan, bang it on counter several times, then invert over serving plate. For two-piece pan, grasp tube and lift cake out of pan. If glazing the cake, use a fork or a paring knife to gently scrap all the crust off the cake. Loosen cake from pan bottom with spatula or knife, then invert cake onto plate. (Can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature 2 days or refrigerated 4 days.)

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Drip Cake: Chocolate Quinoa Layer Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream (gluten free)

Made my own Birthday Cake. Yes I did😆

6 inch GF Chocolate Quinoa Cake layers and Vanilla Bean Buttercream

This is my favourite part of making a cake

Decorated with my fave goodies: matcha macaron, Lindt chocolate balls, dragées, a mini KitKat and mini Coffee Crisp and crushed macaron shells

The chocolate ganache was perfect. I threw dragées on the side of the cake too and they stuck🙌

It's late November and the only thing blooming in my garden are these little purple Daikon flowers.  I just let the daikon go to seed and never did harvest the daikon (so bitter!)  The flowers sure are pretty...and edible

Scroll down past the recipes to watch a video of me assembling the layers

BEST EVER QUINOA CHOCOLATE LAYER DRIP CAKE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM (GF)

adapted from Quinoa 365:  The Everyday Superfood

makes 3 6-inch layers

• 2 1/4 cups cooked quinoa (see note below for instructions to cook quinoa. No substitutions)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste
• 3/4 cups coconut oil, melted and cooled (you can use unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened organic cacao powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

*3 6-inch cake tins (you can make do with 2 pans and after baking the first batch, make the last layer after cleaning the pan)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray the tins with coconut oil spray or non-stick spray.  Line with a round piece of parchment paper
2. In a Vitamix, heavy-duty Blender of Food Processor, combine:  milk, eggs, vanilla paste.  Blend until combined.  Add 2 1/4 cups of cooked quinoa and the melted coconut oil and continue to blend until smooth.
3. Dump in the sugar, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the Vitamix.  Blend well to combine.  [NB: if you are using a regular blender, you will encounter problems with the thick batter and may not be able to totally break down the cooked quinoa grains. In this case, you should use a food processor]
4. Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans. Gently tap the pans on the counter to get rid of air bubbles and smooth the tops evenly
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes.
6. Test the cakes for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester.
7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow the cake layers to cool completely on a rack. 
8. Frost with Buttercream (see recipe below).  Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes. Make the ganache (see recipe below) and allow to cool as the cake is in the fridge.  Drip chocolate ganache over the cold buttercream. Decorate with your fave chocolates and bling✨ it up with dragees if desired.
9. Cake layers can be stored sealed in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. 

COOKING QUINOA Note:  Bring 2/3 cup raw, rinsed white or golden quinoa to boil in a heavy saucepan with 1 1/3 cups water.  Cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and leave covered saucepan on burner for another 10 minutes.  Fluff with fork and allow the Quinoa to cool.

Rice Cooker Method:  Cook rinsed quinoa as you would rice, following manufacturer's instructions and the indicator lines for appropriate water levels.    I made 1 cup quinoa and found it had enough leftovers to make another dish.

VANILLA BEAN BUTTERCREAM 

(makes just enough for a nearly naked cake; or just enough to frost this little 6 inch cake)

3 cups confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter [I used Kerrygold]

1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

1 tablespoon milk

1. In an electric mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth
2. Add the confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time
3. Add vanilla bean paste and gradually add milk until the buttercream is at a consistency that is not too stiff. Continue beating [speed 8 on the KitchenAid] for 7-8 minutes until almost white in colour. The buttercream will be fluffy
4. Use immediately to frost the 3 cake layers.  

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1 cup whipping/heavy cream

1 bag Wilton Chocolate Candy Melts (chocolate chips or dark chocolate will work as well)

OR

8 ounces chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

NB: before you start! if you have a kitchen scale the ratio for the ganache in weight is 1:1.  But if you don't or if you're too lazy to whip out the scale like me, you can eyeball it and adjust by adding more chocolate or cream until you get a thick pouring consistency.  

1. Put whipping cream in a microwave-safe container and heat in 30 second increments until it is hot to the touch.  Check on it at intervals so it doesn't boil over.
2. Add 1 cup of the Candy Melts or chopped chocolate and stir gently until the ganache is thick but pourable.  Mine was too runny initially so I had to add another handful of candy melts. As well, allowing it to cool will also thicken the ganache before pouring.  Test the ganache before drizzling on the cake by attempting to drip from the top edge of a glass or mug.  If it runs too quickly then add more chocolate or candy melts.  

♬Bossa Nova Royalty Free Background Music

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CONDENSED MILK POUND CAKE WITH ORGANIC GROUND VANILLA

Condensed Milk Pound Cake with Organic Ground Vanilla

That Organic Raw Ground Vanilla was very expensive.  Like $54. I had plopped it into the basket when my husband wasn't looking.  

Happy Friday!
After School Cake Date! 

I'm baking cake (non-gluten-free!) for my kid today.  It's been forever since she asked me to bake anything.  She's not a sweet-tooth like the 9 yr old.  So this morning when she arose from bed and exclaimed "mommy, you can bake a cake if you want. My friends are coming over after school" I was like "holy smokes!"

Since when did "after-school playdates" evolve into "hanging with friends?"

Times flies.

When I started this blog, it was primarily to document recipes for my newborn (the big kid in question...Bebe is her alias on my blog).  I was hoping to leave a legacy of recipes and stories for her but the blog took on a life of its own as I explored cake decorating and photography and found myself engrossed in trying to make my blog more beautiful.

So Bebe is heading to high school in September.   Along the way, I've put the blog on the back-burner as real life (and actual money-paying) opportunities took precedent.  The blog was never meant to earn me any money and I had initially balked at ugly ads...but I gave in.  Cake supplies were expensive!  The blog is still a money-loser on the whole, but it is priceless in connecting me with wonderful bakers and bloggers around the world and I have even met some of them in person! Currently, I just feel more connected to people on Instagram than I do on this blog because there is a sort of immediacy and intimacy that Instagram has that blogs don't.  I like being connected to my readers but I've lost a lot of readers because I allowed the frequency of my posts to slide. This is a choice I made because I had to take time for my health, my life, my kids and career.  I don't regret it. Thank you if you're still following my blog and reading for over a decade!

Thus, this morning...upon entering the kitchen I immediately took out some good butter to soften for later. This chunk is unsalted local Avalon organic butter.  Then I spent a good couple of hours contemplating what type of cake I would bake.  I took a nice morning run--and then after coming home and opening my pantry I spied the ridiculously expensive bag of GiddyYoYo Ground Raw Organic Vanilla I had recently bought at Famous Foods.

Batter ready for the oven. The ground vanilla looks amazing!

I felt no guilt baking this pound cake because I knew I wasn't going to eat it.  In fact, with 7 girls in the house after school, they made short work of eating almost the entire loaf in under an hour.  I have been pretty good with avoiding eating too much gluten and my Hashimoto's disease is quite manageable now.  With regular exercise and a personal trainer to help me resolve my shoulder impingement I'm finding myself feeling way better.  I've been busying myself on Instagram with my newfound love of Smoothie Bowls and Chia Pudding.  I'll be posting something on smoothie bowls soon.  I have accumulated quite an arsenal of toppings for these healthy post workout smoothies.

An afternoon snack baked for my kid's friends on a Friday Afternoon.

Have a slice with a glass of milk or a cup of green tea.  This Condensed Milk Pound Cake is a delicious start to the weekend!

CONDENSED MILK POUND CAKE

Adapted from Pichet Ong's Sweet Spot

Makes one 8 1/2 - x - 4 1/2 inch cake, about 12 servings

• 1 Cup (8 oz/226g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 1/3 Cups all purpose flour (7 oz/200g)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 Cup evaporated cane sugar (3 3/4 oz/106g)
• 1 tsp organic ground vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 Cup sweetened condensed milk (8 oz/239g)
• 3 Large eggs

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. 
• Generously butter and line with parchment an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 - inch loaf pan and set aside.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.
• Put the sugar and the ground vanilla in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse. 
• Add the butter and salt and process until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Add the condensed milk and pulse until well incorporated, about 15 times, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. 
• Add the sifted dry ingredients and pulse until no traces of flour remain, about 10 times. Add the eggs and pulse just until combined, about 5 times. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the vanilla extract, if using, and finish mixing by hand to fully incorporate the eggs. 
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes; then reduce temperature to 325 degrees F and continue baking for another 35 minutes, until the top is dark golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes total.
•  Cool completely in the loaf pan on a rack, then unmold.

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Mini Matcha Mochi Doughnuts (gluten free)

Mini Matcha Mochi Doughnuts (gluten free) baked by my 8 yr old, Bib

Sprinkle with icing sugar to make it even better

See? I was detoxing today from a foodie-sinful weekend before Bib was pestering me to do some baking...

Have you wanted to teach your 8 year old fractions? but fractions are SO hard.  Being the I'd-rather-be-baking sort of mommy, I figured a practical application to fractions would be baking doughnuts. Bib has been sort of driving me crazy with her obsession with the Kracie "Popin' Cookin'" candy kits lately.

I noticed her watching some Youtube videos in Japanese (no she doesn't understand Japanese!) where the people are "cooking" candies in these plastic molds and sometimes they even use a microwave.  I think.  I find the whole thing horrifying and gross.  She makes these little Sushi candies and then eats them up right away.  She says "mmmm" sometimes too.

I have never tried any of her "food" but I think this was the beginning of her showing me that she had a real passion for baking (yay?)

A video posted by Cake Brain (@cakebrain) on Jun 1, 2015 at 8:21pm PDT

Bebe, my 11 yr old recently passed down her Easy Bake Oven to Bib and Bib has already made her own Video of how she made a Dango sundae (yes, she made it all by herself (twice!) and I definitely didn't help...and paid the price with the mess afterwards).

Getting ready with all the ingredients first.  I used a recipe from an e-book I bought on my kindle.  It's great as I adapted by adding matcha and I envision doing various other flavours soon.

Here's a picture of her Sundae with her hand-made dango. The only scary part was boiling the dango in hot water on the stove.

A photo posted by Cake Brain (@cakebrain) on Jun 1, 2015 at 9:20pm PDT

The best thing about mochi is it's gluten free!
I decided to do things right.  If she's going to bake, she's going to use a REAL oven...this ain't no Easy Bake Oven we're using today.  Of course, she is obsessed with mochi too.  We've recently been going to Vancouver Asian dessert places and trying all sorts of weird Asian sundaes. She acquired a taste for mochi and ice cream together so hey let's make that at home because it's crazy expensive in those over-priced Asian dessert places.

A photo posted by Cake Brain (@cakebrain) on Jul 10, 2015 at 5:08pm PDT

See that crazy dessert above (all gluten free btw) we've been eating in Asian restos in Vancouver? I'm going to make them myself this summer and save a ton of $$.  Plus, it'll taste way better (I hope!) and I'll feel way less guilty about eating them because I can control the amount of sugar and the portion size.

The recipe includes: 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of honey (I used Manuka) and 2 tablespoons sugar (I used organic cane sugar) 

Add the milk to the wet ingredients. I think I will modify this recipe by using coconut milk next time.

Bib loves sifting.  This is her sifting the matcha and mochiko flour together over the wet ingredients.  I had to tell her to slow down as a cloud of mochiko dust was enveloping her face. lol.

The groovy thing about mochi batter is you can not over-mix it. Bib can "mix mix mix!" all she wants! 

After Bib was done mixing, I gave the batter a few more turns with the whisk for good measure and it was ready to go into the mini doughnut pan

Wait up! doh! I forgot to spray the doughnut pan. That lone doughnut is going to be a pain to remove.  I used Coconut oil spray that I bought at Costco. It smells heavenly. 

I gave the doughnut pan some quick raps on the counter-top to get all the air bubbles out and level the batter before popping it in the oven.

freshly baked out of the oven

The Mini Matcha Mochi Doughnuts are a type of wagashi, which is a Japanese sweet meant to be eaten with tea.  

I'm enamoured by everything wagashi since visiting this groovy Japanese cafe in Portland, Oregon recently.  I had the matcha tea set which was served in the style of a Japanese tea ceremony. The lady at the counter said "are you sure? the matcha is strong like espresso".  I was sure and even make my own matcha but she must have thought I was a newb with my camera around my neck. lol.

A photo posted by Cake Brain (@cakebrain) on Jul 5, 2015 at 5:08pm PDT

A photo posted by Cake Brain (@cakebrain) on Jul 5, 2015 at 5:07pm PDT

The cafe is located literally across the street from the museum; thus the name "Behind the Museum Cafe".   I am working on a gluten free matcha brownie recipe soon.  Stay tuned...

A photo posted by Cake Brain (@cakebrain) on Jul 5, 2015 at 5:05pm PDT

This lone doughnut was the ornery one that I had forgot to spray.  It was a pain to dislodge but I eventually pried it loose with a wooden skewer.

Mini Matcha Mochi Doughnuts (gluten free)
adapted from Wagashi and More: a collection of Simple Japanese Dessert Recipes by Cooking Penguin (Kindle version)
NB: these mini doughnuts are made in the style of "wagashi" which are tiny sweets served with unsweetened Japanese green tea. Usually you only have one (yah right!) and it's served with Matcha tea in the style of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.  See that picture above of my matcha set? like that! These are in no way as sweet as a North American Doughnut. However, you can bling it up with a royal icing drizzle or toss icing sugar all over it if you're into that kind of thing.

Makes 24 Baked Mini Doughnuts

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup honey (I used manuka honey)
• 2 tablespoon evaporated cane sugar
• 2/3 cup milk (or coconut milk)
• 1 1/2 cups mochiko
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons matcha
• 3 tablespoon butter, melted
• coconut oil spray, for pan
• powdered sugar, for dusting the baked doughnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs,melted butter, honey, sugar and milk until combined.  
3. Sift mochiko with baking powder and matcha powder over the wet ingredients. Whisk well to combine.
4. Spray your mini doughnut pan with coconut oil spray (or Pam)
5. Pour the batter into a piping bag with a large tip (or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off).  I used my Tovolo pancake pen batter dispenser (see picture above).
6. Rap the pan on the countertop to get rid of air bubbles and smooth out the tops of the mini doughnuts.
7. Bake for 10-15 minutes until done.  Let cool and use a wooden skewer to remove from pan.
8. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with tea.

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