This is one of my favourite cakes, for several reasons. It’s amazingly quick and easy to put together, and it comes out with the perfect texture every single time. The yogurt makes is a somewhat dense cake, with a very moist crumb. It is pretty much my favourite cake texture.

Next up, all those raspberries. I like the cake with frozen raspberries and with fresh raspberries…however, whenever I bake with berries, I freeze those berries first. I think that’s an important thing for cakes as white as this one; you don’t want it baking up with swirls and chunks of raspberries; I prefer when then jewel the cake. Also, big berry pieces mean big berry flavor!

The orange peel and juice (I’ve also used lemon) makes the cake exceptionally bright and lively. And finally, that almond extract! The extract in the cake itself is not too heavy, just a background note. The glaze on the cake is a little crunchy, a little sweet, and definitely almondy.

A perfect breakfast kinda cake, an ideal snack for an afternoon, and a lighter way to end a meal in the evening…not matter the season or time of day, this will always be one of my definite go-to cakes!

French Yogurt Raspberry Cake
From Bon Appetit

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract, divided
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I’ve also used vanilla – great!!)
2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (two 6-ounce containers) (or frozen)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon (or more) water

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12-cup Bundt pan. Whisk 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl.

2. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Beat in orange juice, 1 teaspoon almond extract, and orange peel. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in yogurt.

3. Add dry ingredients to batter and beat just until blended. Toss 1/2 cup flour and raspberries in large bowl. Fold berry mixture into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan; smooth top.

4. Toss 1/2 cup flour and raspberries in large bowl. Fold berry mixture into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan; smooth top.

5. Bake cake until wooden skewer inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Invert cake onto plate and cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

6. Whisk powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract in medium bowl. Add more water by 1/2 teaspoonfuls as needed for thick glaze. Drizzle over cake. Let stand until glaze sets.

I know I haven’t been posting much about food or recipes much in the last few months. It’s not because I haven’t been cooking or eating – exactly the opposite! We’ve devoured a blueberry buckle, a coconut-pineapple crisp, pasta with roasted butternut squash and goat cheese, a hearty, creamy chicken noodle soup…the list goes on and on. Truth be told, I think I’m tired of writing like this. I no longer feel the urge to take photos of the food, to write about the food…Does anyone else ever feel this way? Does it pass? Is there anything I can do about it?

Here’s a recipe from a long time ago: Martha Stewart’s Black Bottom Coconut Bars. I wasn’t a big fan. Both layers, the brownie and the coconut, were a little too dry, a little too bland. Maybe it’s my fault, maybe not…but I like my brownies gooey and chewy, so this just didn’t work for me. Some people may like it, so if you’re thinking this sounds up your alley, then check them out here. I won’t bother posting the recipe here though.

I am definitely going to finish my Hawaii series on here. Hopefully, I feel a bit more inspired to keep documenting cooking and baking endeavors by then.

It’s definitely berry season here! I found a recipe in Bon Appetit’s desserts baking book for a cherry-lime cobbler with lime biscuits. I didn’t want to stick with just cherries, so I switched it up a bit to include some fresh strawberries, blueberries, and of course, cherries. I had some lemons and sour cream already, so I skipped the creme fraiche idea, and used the sour cream instead, along with lemon juice and zest instead of lime.

This recipe differs from the usual cobbler. The fruit is all prepared in a cast iron pan, and the biscuits are baked separately, and placed atop a bowl of a warm berry mixture. I loved having all the different berries in there, and the lemon definitely cuts the sweetness. The biscuits had a nice lemony tinge, and were fantastic to eat all alone, and even better after they had soaked up all that berry goodness.

This is a quick and easy dish, and perfect for summer and berry season. I’ve also been dolloping the berry mixture on top of the strawberry sour cream ice cream…just wonderful!

Cherry, Blueberry & Strawberry Cobbler with Vanilla-Sour Cream Biscuits
adapted from Bon Appetit

FRUIT MIXTURE
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
2 cups whole pitted fresh cherries
2 cups blueberries
1 cup strawberries, halved
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

BISCUITS
1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon milk

FRUIT MIXTURE
Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F.

2. Stir brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in large clad skillet, then stir in 1/2 cup water. Stir over medium heat until sugar and cornstarch dissolve.

3. Add all the berries and bring to boil, scraping sides of skillet and stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice and lime peel. Place in lower third of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until fruit mixture is bubbling.

BISCUITS
1. Whisk flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

2. Whisk sour cream, vanilla, and lemon peel in small bowl.

3. Add sour cream mixture to dry ingredients; stir with fork just until dough begins to come together.

4. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead just until dough holds together, about 6 turns. Gather dough into round; pat out to 1/2-inch thickness. Using 3-inch biscuit cutter or cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out rounds. Gather dough scraps together; pat out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut out more dough rounds for a total of 6.

5. Transfer rounds to another rimmed baking sheet; brush tops lightly with milk, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

6. Bake in top third of oven at 400 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden.

7. Divide warm cherries among 6 bowls; top each with 1 biscuit and serve.

I recently checked my little carton of molasses and saw it was a few days from its expiry date, so I started checking out everything I could bake to use it up. Seeing as I had a little tub of crystallized ginger, already minced, ready to be used, I figured some ginger molasses cookies were in order.

The ones I ended up making were absolutely fantastic. Thick, chewy in the middle, slightly crispy around the edges, with little pockets of intense ginger. You could add ground ginger and/or cloves to them, but I liked them simple, with the flavour of molasses standing out. The sugar coating adds a great crunch.

Apparently, these taste just like the ones sold by Starbucks. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of that statement, but I do know whenever I will have the urge for some molasses cookies, these will definitely be the ones I bake!

Ginger Molasses Raisin Cookies
adapted from All Recipes

2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, minced
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup white sugar (for rolling)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl mix oil and 1 cup of sugar. Add egg, beat well. Stir in molasses, 2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and raisins. If necessary, add more flour to make a firm dough.

3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in 1/3 cup sugar. Place 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tops crack. Remove from baking sheet and cool on rack.

It seems like everyone is all about strawberries these days, and with good reason – they’re finally affordable, and more importantly, plump, juicy and packed with sweetness. There’s probably no better time to showcase a cake like this!

I knew I wanted to prepare a strawberry cake of sorts for my sister’s birthday cake. I looked all over the place for a decent strawberry cake recipe, but all I kept coming across was that one for a cake mix+Jello mix. I was looking for something a little more…natural….So I decided to take matters in my own hands and created my own neapolitan cake. I prepared a cake-version of Magnolia Bakery’s chocolate cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes as the two layers. I then made a massive batch of strawberry cream cheese frosting to resemble the pink layer in the classic ice cream.

The end result was a lot of fun. It looks beautiful, and tastes even better. The cakes are moist, and both the chocolate layer and the vanilla layer have their own distinctive flavours. The sweet strawberry frosting only complements the chocolate and vanilla, doesn’t overpower it. To me, it’s a perfect birthday cake, and especially seasonable right now.

Neapolitan Birthday Cake
Printable Recipe

CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYER
adapted from Magnolia Cupcake‘s chocolate cupcakes
This recipe yields 1 9″ round cake layer (or 12 cupcakes)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To melt the chocolate, place in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for 5-10 minutes (about; stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces remain; remove from heat and let cool 5-15 minutes or until lukewarm.

2. Grease one 9″ round cake pan, and line bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Grease parchment paper. Set aside.

3. In a bowl, sift the flour and baking soda together; set aside.

4. In a big mixing bowl, cream the butter, using an electric mixer on MEDIUM speed, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for about 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated.

5. Add the dry ingredients, in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overmix.

6. Scrape down the batter from the sides of the bowl, using a rubber spatula, to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

7. Carefully spoon batter into cake pan.

8. Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes or until pick comes out clean.
9. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Ice when completely cool.

VANILLA CAKE LAYER
adapted from Magnolia Bakery‘s vanilla cupcakes
This recipe yields 1 9″ round cake layer (or 12 cupcakes)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
240 grams cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.

2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.

4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.

5. Measure out milk and vanilla together.

6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.

7. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.

8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

9. Grease one 9″ round cake pan, and line bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Grease parchment paper. Set aside.

10. Spoon batter into pan.

11. Bake for 22-25 minutes at 350 degrees F until a cake tester comes out clean.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
adapted from Cupcake Project

1/4 C butter (room temperature)
1 8 oz package cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 C strawberries, pureed up in a food processor
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream butter and cream cheese.

2. Mix in the strawberries.

3. Add the powdered sugar to the taste and consistency you prefer.

Assemble cake! I suggest letting the frosting sit in the fridge before frosting, to avoid having the cake layers slide around. I topped cake with freshly sliced strawberries.

These bars (found on Ezra Pound Cake) are something special. I can’t think of a more decadent dessert – chocolate, sweet butter filling, pecans, coconut, and a crust that rivals the best shortbread, and not to mention a healthy shot of alcohol – talk about perfection!

These are pretty rich, so I recommend cutting them in little pieces. They’re also quite gooey, even after being chilled overnight, so be prepared to get sticky. It’s so worth it though. I think the recipe speaks for itself. If you like pecan pie, you’re going to adore these bars.

Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars
adapted from Ezra Pound Cake
Printable Recipe

CRUST
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large eggs
3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 cup bourbon (optional) (I used some scotch whiskey)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup pecan halves

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch square baking pan with butter or cooking spray, and line it with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Spray or butter the parchment.

CRUST
2. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium for about 1 minute. Add the sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add the flour and salt; mix on low speed until evenly incorporated but still crumbly. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes, until it has darkened to a deep golden brown.

FILLING
3. For the Filling: Place the chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter in a bowl or glass measuring cup, and melt it in the microwave. Let it cool.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until blended.

5. Stir in the cooled chocolate, bourbon, butter, vanilla, flour and salt.

6. Stir in the coconut and pecans.

7. Pour the filling over the cooled crust, spreading evenly. Bake until set, 25 to 30 minutes.

8. Cool thoroughly, at least 30 minutes, in the pan. Then chill the bars in the refrigerator before cutting into 3-inch squares. Store bars in the refrigerator.

Here’s another savory recipe, this time for the vegetarians among us. I followed Handle the Heat‘s recipe exactly, and these muffins turned out just perfectly. They’re easy, tasty and really visually stunning!

They get a salty kick from all the chunks of feta, and the soft flavour of the roasted red peppers counteracts the saltiness. The basil is quite strong in these muffins, and so the flavour works wonderfully. The muffins themselves are moist, with just a bit of crumb. There is nothing I didn’t like about these muffins. I love savory muffins as a snack in the afternoon; I don’t often crave sweet stuff at 2pm, but I definitely crave the salty, and one of these fits the bill. They’re also great as a bread to serve alongside dinner. I froze half of them, and would pull one out every now and then to bring as part of my lunch, so they definitely freeze well.

Highly, highly recommended!

Feta, Basil, and Roasted Red Pepper Muffins
adapted from Handle the Heat
Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup jarred roasted red bell pepper, patted dry and chopped into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil
1 large egg

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in the center. Lightly coat the muffin tin with melted butter, oil, or high-heat canola-oil spray., or line with paper muffin liners.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the feta cheese, roasted bell pepper, and chopped basil. Set aside. Pour the buttermilk into the measuring cup. Add the olive oil and the egg and whisk together until well blended.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and stir gently with a spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few small lumps scattered throughout are fine – they will disappear during baking. Gently fold in the feta cheese mixture until evenly distributed in the batter.

4. Use the large ice cream scoop or 2 soup spoons to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops feel firm and a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean. Transfer the muffin tin to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

5. Gently run a thin knife or spatula around each muffin to free it from the pan, lift out the muffins, and transfer them to a rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for 1 month. Reheat room temperature muffins in oven at 375 for about 8 minutes or in microwave.

Here’s a quick post about a quick and simple dessert: Pecan Butter Tart Bars. Butter tarts have to be among one of my favourite desserts, but I have a strong dislike for pastry-making and pastry-rolling. That’s what makes these perfect for me – just mix together a quick, buttery base, sprinkle with chopped pecans, and pour a sweet, gooey butter tart filling over everything.

I found these to be delicious. The crust was great – very butter-cookie like, and everything tastes better with pecans. The middle was the ideal gooeyness, but perhaps just a bit too sweet. I might be inclined to spike the filling with a little bourbon next time to even it out (or maybe that’s just an excuse to crack open the bourbon next time I’m baking these).

Pecan Butter Tart Bars
Adapted from La Cuisine d’Helene

BASE
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup chopped pecans

FILLING
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Pinch salt

Line 9-inch square metal cake pan with parchment paper; set aside.

BASE
In large bowl, mix flour with brown sugar. With pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is moist and crumbly. Press firmly over prepared pan. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans and press lightly; bake for 5 minutes.

FILLING
Meanwhile, in bowl, beat butter, sugar and corn syrup until smooth; beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and pour over base. Bake until darkened and slightly jiggly when shaken, about 20 minutes. Let cool on rack.

Cut into bars.

When I first saw this dish on Smitten Kitchen, I fell in infatuation. When I made it the first time, I fell in love. This dish is heaven to me…not only is it bursting with the rich flavour of roasted tomatoes and basil, it has an this amazing mixed texture of juicy tomatoes and soft bread, along with a crisp crust of parmesan cheese. Add to this the fact that this recipe calls for very few ingredients and takes hardly any time or effort to put together, and you have a winning dish!

The first time I made this was at the peak of tomato season. We had bought a bucket filled with later-summer plum tomatoes, along with a massive bouquet of basil, so what better dish to make? We ate it all in one night and consequently took no photos, which is why I’m only writing about it now.

Of course, this is best made with in-season tomatoes. However, I gave it a try again this Christmas, with a mix of those terrible winter tomatoes, a few expensive Italian tomatoes, and a can of crushed tomatoes. It wasn’t quite the same – but it was still excellent. Roasting the tomatoes brings out flavour, so even those watery wintery ones can still exude a bit of flavour. I used about half a can of crushed tomatoes (so 14 oz), and it was perfect.

I definitely recommend using ripe, sweet, flavourful tomatoes. However, this dish is still excellent with mediocre tomatoes. The sugar adds this fascinating sweetness, the toasted bread gives the dish substance and texture, and the basil brings it all together.

This is one of my favourite side dishes ever, and I think everyone should put it in their regular recipe rotation! My apologies about the photos – it tastes far better than it looks, and really, it looks way better than I photographed.

Scalloped Tomatoes
adapted from Ina Garten

5, tablespoons olive oil (separated in 3 tbsp and 2 tbsp)
2 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a French boule, crusts removed (any bread will do though – I’ve used baguette and just plain white bread. I also left the crust intact – no reason to waste good bread!)
16 plum tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds) (really, any tomato will do. Read above for my variations!)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I only used about 1/2 cup and that was perfect for me)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12 inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.

3. Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil.

4. Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. (I used a deep dish, and it was great. Feel free to use any 8-cup vessel you have!) Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot.

I made Ina Garten’s coconut macaroons as part of my Christmas baking, and like many of the people who commented on Food Network’s recipe, I had the same problem of the macaroons running all over the place once in the oven. The first batch came out as flat as pancakes, though the second batch was a little better…I think it’s because I put the remaining batter in the fridge while waiting for the first batch to bake. I whipped the eggs right, and folded them in right, so I think the things I would do differently next time would be to add at least another cup, if not two, of coconut and refrigerate the batter before baking.

Besides for the appearance, these were okay. Soft, sticky, sweet – everything a macaroon should be! I dipped the bottom of each macaroon in a chocolate glaze, as I think chocolate really goes well with the coconut.

Chocolate-Bottom Coconut Macaroons
adapted from Food Network (Ina Garten)
Printable Recipe

14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut (I would suggest using a lot more coconut)
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

(3. My suggestion is to refrigerate the mixture at this point for at least half an hour)

4. Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool.

5. Dip bottoms of each cookie in a chocolate glaze (I used about one cup of dark chocolate, melted with a few tablespoons of heavy cream. Let glaze cool om cookie. Serve.