fresh muffins every day for a month? yes you can!

and they are healthy too! on my most recent trip to london, my friend jon made these muffins. when he told me that he could keep the batter in the fridge up to 30 days and make a fresh muffin whenever he wanted--- i was determined to make these for myself as soon as i got home!


basic recipe:
1/2 cup veg oil
2 eggs
1 cup wheat flour
2 cups digestive bran
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of oats
a sprinkle of mixed spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc... up to you)



*mix oil, sugar and eggs until mixed.
*add remaining ingredients and mix well.
*you can also add honey, banana, dried fruit, raisins or nuts now-- or add things in with each new baking session. I decided to do the latter, so i could make different muffins every time
*allow to stand overnight in refrigerator, sealed in a plastic container.

when ready to bake:
*oven to 375F
*spoon in to greased muffin tin, filling each compartment to the top.
*bake for 12-15 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*this batter will keep in the refrigerator up to 30 days before baking--- make sure the container is tightly sealed.

i decided to do 6 muffins at a time, and a different mix in with every batch. these are the muffins i made:

30 day muffin mix with cranberries and honey



30 day muffin mix with banana, honey and oats on top.



30 day muffin mix with banana, oats and dark chocolate on top.

pre-valentine's day treats

the weekend before valentine's day two of my favorite ladies had a double birthday. i didn't want to do anything with icing, because 1) i wanted to do something different 2) making sure your icing stays in tact on a jerky A train is no fun.

i wanted something rich and with chocolate, because one of the ladies in question is a major chocolate fiend. hey... can you blame her? she sleeps with a rifle under her bed, so i wasn't going to disappoint.

i turned again to smitten kitchen (the bible of baking blogs to be honest), for something easy to carry on the train AND muy deliciouso.

peanut butter and chocolate rice krispie bars

for this recipe i bought my first candy thermometer--- a very exciting purchase indeed. i plan to make lots of other candy treats with the aide of this device.

adapted from smitten kitchen:

(bottom) rice krispie crust:
1 3/4 cups crisped rice cereal
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons salted butter- melted

(middle) milk chocolate peanut butter layer:
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter

(top) the chocolate icing:
3 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72 percent cocoa) chips (thanks sahadis!)
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) salted butter

lightly grease the pan

rice krispie layer:
put the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan.
gently add the sugar and corn syrup and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined.
put a candy thermometer in the saucepan.
cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees F.

remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal.
working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan.
using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides).
put aside- let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.

the milk chocolate peanut butter layer:
in a large nonreactive metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and the peanut butter.
set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth.
remove the bowl from the pan and stir for about 30 seconds to cool slightly.
pour the mixture over the cooled crust.
put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.

the chocolate icing:
in a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter.

set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth and shiny.
remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly.
pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and spread (actually, I found it easier to just roll it around until it coated smoothly, avoiding the risk of picking up any of the peanut butter layer with it) into an even layer.
put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the topping hardens.

cut into squares and serve. WARNING: try not to eat them all before presenting them to the birthday girls.

i followed the recipe exactly. they turned out delicious--- except, i think i wanted more of a rice krispie layer. next time, i am going to double the krispie crust layer.

i put a few aside for boyfriend (it was verrryyyyy appreciated) and a few aside for our red lobster double date buddies for the next night (micah and jenn). these treats and red lobster all in one weekend?? yes... i did.

matcha filled oreos!

the month of matcha continues! for the next round, i wanted to make something with chocolate. i once had green tea ice cream with chocolate and it was delicious. since i had been wanting to make these smitten kitchen oreos again, i thought i could just add some matcha to the filling. they looked kinda funny (bright green filling) but they tasted divine. they were on the tea trolley in the morning and gone by the afternoon.

follow the recipe on smitten kitchen, and add 1-2 tablespoons of matcha (based on your preference). this was a pretty easy recipe. homemade oreos are BEYOND delish :)

half japanese cake... kickin' off a month of matcha!

hello fellow sweet lovers. for the next month i am going to attempt to bake lots of delicious things with matcha! my parents brought me some all the way from japan and now that it's opened, i have to take full advantage of the delicious green goodness.

i wanted to make something seriously yummy in honor of my (former) co-worker pammie, she had her last day a week ago. she is someone who enjoys more non traditional dessert, and i thought something with matcha would be right up her ally. also- we have an (oh so amazing) tea trolley we set up in our little communications den at work. i wanted something that would go well with tea. i looked for many desserts with matcha before i made my decision. the amount of butter in this cake would make paula deen very proud ya'll!

lemon and matcha marble pound cake
adapted from joy the baker

makes 2 cakes

4 cups flour (sifted)
3 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
9 eggs
1 cup sour cream
juice of one lemon, zest of 2
1 1/2 tbsp MATCHA powder
3 sticks (minus 1 tablespoon - put that aside for greasing the pans) of unsalted butter melted

*set oven to 350º F

*sift together flour, salt, baking powder in a bowl and set aside

*wisk eggs and sugar until well mixed. mix in vanilla, then sour cream. mix on a slow speed until well blended

*melt the butter and put aside

*very slowly mix the flour mixture into the egg/sugar/sour cream mixture

*mix in butter slowly. make sure the batter is very mixed.

*split the batter into two bowls.

*add lemon juice and zest to one bowl. add matcha to the other.

*layer (4 layers- 2 of each batter) the batter in 2 pans that have been greased and dusted with flour. one layer of lemon on the bottom, one layer of matcha on that, one layer of lemon on that, one more of matcha on top. take a knife, put it all the way to the bottom, and make a swirl pattern.

*cook for 1 hour



*let the cake sit before removing from pan.

this cake is delicious with a small spread of lemon curd. but really, it's delicious on its own.




this cake was lovely. it's beautiful to look at and tastes divine! go matcha go!

christmukkah cookies for all!

every year i bake cookies for all the men that work in my building. this year i even invested in really pretty cookie packaging from my new favorite spot in brooklyn - paper source.

i wanted to have a variety of cookies, but also wanted cookies that could all be done for all eight recipients in 2 nights (at most). i wanted to make sure i got everyone fresh cookies-- it makes all the difference. i also had to find a good vegan recipe. two of the lucky cookie recipients are vegans- and they both happen to be the nicest guys in the building.

my friend pam recently made these delicious cookies that she mentioned were vegan. they were so rich with chocolate and spicy too. i knew they were the right choice. i gave the extras to my boyfriend and some visitors i had in from baltimore. i mentioned the cookies were vegan and my cookie fans were shocked!

spicy mexican hot chocolate cookies for vegans (and non vegans too)

ingredients:
cookies:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne

topping:
coarse sugar
cinnamon

instructions:
*oven to 350 F.

*mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. set aside.

*mix together oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. mix in vanilla.

*sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough.

*roll dough into walnut sized balls. pat into the sugar topping to flatten slightly (not too flat). transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread).

*bake for 10 to 12 minutes





so- the vegans were taken care of, now what about the other nice guys in my building? i decided to use one sugar cookie dough recipe (which i doubled) to make three different types of cookies. thumbprints with jam, nutella sandwiches with sugar on top, and lemon iced cookies (lemon icing recipe further down). they were all sooooooo delicious. i also had a lot of help from my awesome chef's assistant / boyfriend.

the best simple sugar cookie dough:

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for the work surface

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp maple syrup

instructions:

*oven to 350° F.
*in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
*using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. beat in the vanilla.
*reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). shape into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
*on a floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. using cookie cutters, cut into shapes. place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1½ inches apart.
*bake 10 to 12 min



lemon icing:
juice of half a lemon
lemon zest
1 cup of confectioner sugar
few spoonfuls of water

wisk till smooth.
when cookies are cool, dip in icing.
let dry a bit. dip one more time.
sprinkle with sanding sugar.
put in fridge for 30 minutes.
serve cookies at room temp.

these are the cookies ready to go! happy holidays everyone.




xo

BAKE OFF!

i have been baking quite a bit in the last month! the holidays have been busy and it seems i have been neglecting the blog. so many recipes to share, so many sweet tales to tell.

to start off, please meet the new love of my baking life:


so. in. love. hanukkah harry is a good man!

about a month ago my lovely co-workers and i decided to have a bake off. there are a lot of skilled bakers in my office, so it was getting pretty competitive. lots of shit talking, lots of planning, but all in good fun. we even put out an email to the whole office to recruit judges. the bake off dessert had to have an autumn theme. this is what i made:



PUMPKIN CUPCAKES. BUTTERSCOTCH CHIPS. VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING. YUM!

I used this recipe for the pumpkin cupcakes, but also added a pinch of cloves, a pinch of black pepper, and a teaspoon of maple syrup. I also added butterscotch chips, folding them in before spooning out the batter into the liners.

i made vanilla cream cheese frosting. it's easy and delicious to make this from scratch. the key is to have your cream cheese and butter very soft at room temp. also, sifting the sugar helps keep the icing light and smooth. with an icing this simple, these factors will make a large impact. i also like to add the contents of one vanilla bean.

VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1 package of full fat cream cheese (8 oz)
1 stick unsalted butter
2-3 cups powdered sugar (i lean closer to 2 cups as the cupcakes were pretty sweet)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean (the seeds only, not the pod)

A TIP: save the vanilla bean pods- put them in a jar with some white sugar and shake it up. in a day or so you have homemade vanilla sugar. vanilla sugar makes a cup of pg tips with milk even more delicious!

the cupcakes were a big hit! although i didn't win first prize, i was a close second. i did hold the title for 2 years, so it's only fair someone else get the glory for a short while... i let them know, i am ready for a rematch!

cake balls, brooklyn's best and vintage tins!

one of my favorite west coast ladies got married this summer. i sadly could not attend the wedding. as a little post wedding treat, i sent a care package. other than the horrible experience of waiting in line at the post office (a fate worse than death), it was so much fun to assemble this package. it included homemade banana cake balls, mast bros chocolate, a baked brownie, brooklyn gum, 1" story pin, goucher college sticker (it's where we met after all), john waters postcard and cards from atomic books--- i put it all in a vintage 50's tin from holland. i love vintage tins, and to find one in such beautiful condition was divine!



cake balls are something i rediscovered recently. they are always a BIG hit at the office. making cake balls can be a bit messy, but they are pretty easy to make otherwise. i recently starting thinking about all the flavor combos that could be made... and one that i needed to try was banana cake with cream cheese frosting and dark chocolate. i followed bakarella's 'instructions' while incorporating different flavor cake. i also put a single sugar pearl on each cake ball, which i thought was a romantic touch.



so much deliciousness being sent with love from east to west <3

you will be missed... delicious friend

blue marble has mastered the art of simple, delicious, high quality ice cream. sadly, the blue marble on atlantic avenue (just a short walk from my apartment) will be closing in less than a week. this blue marble is insanely popular and very loved. it seems ice cream doesn't make the rent. so no more last minute blue marble stops on my way home after a bad day. no more blue marble runs with my boyfriend at 10:30pm for a mini marble. sigh.

blue marble still exists at two lovely brooklyn locations- but the original on atlantic is what started it all!

i will miss you blue marble on atlantic avenue! your ginger ice cream lives on in my heart... and my belly.



if you live nearby, you should stop by 420 atlantic avenue and show your support before they close on 10/24. if you've never tried blue marble---- GET READY :)

over the moon for french macaroons

french macaroons. beautiful and delicious. the type of treat that has you channeling your inner french princess. i recently set out to make these for the first time. my sous chef for the day was mandark. although macaroons are a simple recipe, everything has to be precise, so i was a bit intimidated. i think they turned out pretty good for a first attempt! the colors we decided on were lavender and baby blue. we turned to martha for the recipe.

for the filling we melted down a bar of vosges creole bar. i felt like we had to go for some high class chocolate filler to make macaroons even marie antoinette would enjoy.

i want to make macaroons again soon... half the fun is deciding the color and flavor combos that are possible with this lovely little cookie :)

rhubarb + strawberry coffee cake

during a recent trip to the catskils, i discovered a new farmers market. it was full of amazing fruits, veg, cheese and baked goods... including one of the BEST coffee cakes i have ever had. full stop. it was baked in a basic tin, with an unassuming label in plain type: 'strawberry rhubarb'... but boy oh boy, when i bit into that moist coffee cake it had the perfect balance of sugar, cinnamon, fruit and crunch. i wanted to buy more to bring home, but there were none left the next day. so i decided when i got home i would attempt my own.

adapted from martha 'lady jesus' stewart

for the crumble topping:

4 tblspns unsalted melted butter- plus more for dish
3/4 cup cake flour- plus more for dish
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 tspn cinnamon

for the cake:

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tspn vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups of strawberries and rhubarb that have been diced

*oven to 350° F.
*butter a 9-inch round baking dish, dust with flour, tap out excess.
*stir together butter, flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon. set topping aside.

*mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

*in another bowl cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. beat in eggs and vanilla.
*working in alternating batches, add flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. stir until just combined.
*fold in fruit. pour into dish. sprinkle with crumb topping.

bake about 1 hour. sprinkle with powdered sugar.





give half to your boyfriend and bring half into work. endless praise. enjoy with whipped cream or if you're feeling really glutenous- cinnamon ice cream.

souper trooper

every once is a while you need a break from sweets... right? or rather... something to eat in between desserts.

when i was in still in college, my good friend marge showed me this soup recipe she learned while living in italy. pappa al pomodoro! it's easy, cheap and delicious- the three most important meal factors to any poor college student. i had not made this soup in a while, but once i had the thought of it in my mind, i was on a mission.

everything you need is in this picture:



1. stock
2. onion
3. garlic
4. basil
5. can of whole peeled tomatoes
6. stale bread
also olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (my preference), parmesan cheese

this soup gets better over time. if it gets dried out just add a little more stock as you warm it up. i also LOVE this soup b/c it gives me something to do with my fancy baguettes from balthazar once they go stale.

this is what is should look like as it's all brewing:




even my little brother had three bowls in one sitting.

athletes like cupcakes

recently my good friend pete was visiting from london. pete is an amazing sound genius and he tours with lots of awesome bands. last year i met up with pete and his girlfriend (my good friend) gil in melbourne. pete was on tour with spiritualized and we saw them perform at mt. buller. it was beautiful. other than one scary encounter with a big spider, the weekend was magic.

so... pete was just recently in nyc with athlete. i have seen the athlete perform before, and it's always a good show. to top it off, the guys in the band are beyond lovely. we had only exchanged a few words last time i met them, but for this trip pete let me know they would all have some free time in BROOKLYN. athlete were performing at the bell house (great venue) and there was going to be time for dinner beforehand. i suggested we go to get fresh-- they have an amazing prix fix. dessert was not included in the prix fix, so i decided to make dessert myself. ALSO-- pete brought me lardy bread all the way from the UK, so i felt he really earned a cupcake :)

these cupcakes are always a hit!

'better than magnolia' (so says athlete) blueberry cupcakes with maple icing

cupcakes
3 1/4 cups cake flour sifted
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tblspn baking powder
1/2 tspn coarse kosher salt
1/4 tspn baking soda
6 tblspn (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 tspn grated lemon peel
1 tblspn maple syrup
1 pinch cinnamon
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, frozen for 4 hours


*oven to 350°F.
*sift flour and next 4 ingredients into large bowl
*whisk melted butter and oil in medium bowl.
*add eggs; whisk to blend.
*whisk in buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract, and peel.
*add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just to blend.
*stir in frozen blueberries.

*bake cupcakes 20-25 minutes

frosting
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
10 tblspns (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
maple syrup (to taste) (14 - 1/2 cup)
1/2 tspn salt
1 1/4 tspns vanilla extract
4 tspns (or more) whole milk

cream sugar and butter. add salt. add vanilla, add syrup. still in milk slowly till you reach desired consistency. chill for 30 minutes.

1 cup chilled fresh blueberries covered in sugar (for decoration)





the boys really liked the cupcakes, and dinner was delicious. the band played well and the crowd was so joyous. to top it off they recorded a little video for my friend willa, who is a big athlete fan, and was out of town!

a brunch fit for a queen mother

mothers day! not your everyday brunch... it calls for something more special than your generic pancakes or eggs (as good as that is). brunches like this are an excuse to make something far more gluttonous than your typical sunday fare.

pain au chocolat bread pudding , fruit, healthy canapes and french press coffee were the items on my menu.

FIRST canapes: wasabi egg salad on cucumber

for the egg salad:
5 hard boiled eggs (chopped)
3 spoonfuls of wasabi mayo (trader joes brand)
red onion chopped
chives chopped
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

serve on sliced cucumber. garnish with cayenne pepper and chive



SECOND pain au chocolat bread pudding and strawberries on the side

PAC pudding (get the le crusset ready):

5 stale pains au chocolat (cut in 1" slices)
2 cups whole milk
2 cups double cream
3 tblsp sugar
1 large egg
4 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 bar quality dark chocolate (my choice - vosages creole bar)

oven to 350.
butter your dish.
cut up the bread to 1" pieces and arrange in dish.
sprinkle roughly chopped chocolate bar over dish.
put milk and cream bring to near boiling point.
whisk egg, yolks and sugar into large bowl.
pour milk into egg mixture whisking continuously.
add vanilla.
pour over bread and leave to soak for ten minutes.
cook for about 45 minutes.

this brunch was a big hit. good quality coffee to accompany brunch is highly recommended.

taking you downtown to brownie town

my friend mellio likes nothing more than desserts with raspberries and chocolate. she started telling me months before her birthday that making her anything else was just not an option. also not an option--- trying to live to see 30 without baking for her birthday ;) she's a funny lady. she's a puerto rican chick who loves the film yentyl and insisted ricky martin was NOT gay, just hispanic ('danielle, you just don't know what hispanic men are like, ooohkay!') until one month ago.
melissa and i go way way back to the days of midwood high school. how could i say NO to mah gurl?

i looked over so many recipes before i decided something rich and simple would do the trick. raspberry chocolate brownies it is then!

raspberry chocolate brownies

* 4 eggs

* 1 1/2cup sugar
* 2 teaspoon vanilla

* 1 cup butter

* 1 ½ cup ghirardelli ground chocolate
* 1 1/3 cup flour

* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 4 teaspoons of milk
* semi sweet chocolate chips
* raspberry jam

*confectioners sugar, with milk and cocoa for icing glaze.

1. oven at 350 degrees F.

2. cream butter with sugar and vanilla; add eggs. beat till well mixed.
3. mix ground chocolate with flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. stir into egg mixture; milk, and chocolate chips last, stir in raspberry jam.
5. 8 x 8 well greased pan
6. Bake 40-45 minutes
7. let cool
8. put in 'cups'
9. drizzle glaze and raspberries
10. one chocolate truffle for the birthday girls portion



enjoy. digest. enjoy again.

paging dr pepper!

my boyfriend loves his sweets. there is one thing in particular that he is very well known for loving (other than me)- and that is dr pepper soda. i knew i wanted to make him something with dr pepper- and a dr pepper cake seemed like a great option. i have had chocolate coca-cola cake before, and boy, did i love it. for these cupcakes i used a coca-cola chocolate cake recipe and added dr pepper instead. the batter seemed a bit runny when i first filled the cups, but the end product was rich and moist. i am happy i decided to make a simple vanilla frosting to go with it, because the flavor of the cake itself shouldn't compete with anything too rich. these cupcakes were a huge hit at sheep station. in fact, they went over so well with the bar staff that i got a few free drinks out of it! most importantly, boyfriend loved them too :)


i call these sweeney-pie's cocoa pepper cola cakes :)

CAKE:

1 1/2 cup dr. pepper soda
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 stick salted butter (good quality)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder (i used some i got as a gift from belgium- any high quality cocoa works)
2 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

oven to 350° F

combine the dr. pepper, oil, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat. when it comes to a simmer, mix well and turn stove off.

mix dry ingredients together - then add to mixture in saucepan and mix well, by hand. don’t over mix.

in a separate small bowl lightly beat the eggs and buttermilk together, and add them to the cocoa cola mixture and mix lightly- not too much.

pour into cupcake cups and bake at 350° for approx. 20-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

cool on rack. put in fridge till cool.



FROSTIN:

2 sticks of unsalted butter - very soft
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cup confectioner sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of buttermilk


beat butter 3 minutes, slowly add sugar

in saucepan, simmer milk, buttermilk and flour till it forms a warm paste. stir constantly- it will burn otherwise.

add warm mixture to butter/sugar. mix well.

put in fridge for 30 minutes.






FROST CUPCAKES. EAT, ENJOY!

from queen victoria to the queen of graphic design

i spent about two weeks in london, and it reminded me of a few culinary facts:

*london DOES have great coffee (broadway market!)
*some curries are worth hiking up a mountain for (or so stated the menu write up for the best curry i ever had)
*sharon's in stamford hill is worth a bus trip on the 149
*victoria sponge cake- when made right- is AMAZING!

so when i realized i had a very special birthday at the end of my first week back, i set out to make my first victoria sponge cake. shocking that an anglophile such as myself hasn't made one before- i know! i turned to the queen of british cooking, one of my idols, nigella. the cake was for one of my favorite people at work, and in general- willa. not only is she the queen of graphic design, but she's the queen of many hearts at our office. she is also always very complimentary of everything i cook / bake.

the victoria sponge is a pretty basic cake- so i think investing in quality ingredients is important more so than usual. they now sell kerrygold butter at trader joe's which makes me very happy. this cakes takes lots of butter, so this new development made my day. i decided on trader joe's blackberry preserves, because it's my absolute favorite jam they make. i wanted to use clotted cream, but couldn't find any... anywhere! i made fresh whipped cream at the last minute which was nice.

this cake can all be done using one big bowl, and a hand mixer. yes. mix in all the following ingredients- save the milk for last and mix that in slowly.

1 cup unsalted butter (very soft)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
3-4 tablespoons milk (mix in with the hand mixer on low)

put in two 8" round pans that are buttered. bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.



after the cakes have cooled for a good while, put them on two plates, and put whipped cream on one side, and jam on the other. sandwich together. i used a good amount of jam, so it ran over. i just used a knife to smooth it all out, and covered with powdered sugar. make sure this cake goes in the fridge if you are not serving right away.

this cake was delicious! even my cream-phobic friend rachel was lovvvvving it.

also- a special thanks to my #1 bunny rabbit for serving as sous chef :)

girl bakes in brooklyn takes over london. mmm! LUSH.

on march 2nd, my little brother turned 25. he is studying in london, and i had been trying to figure out a good time to visit. his birthday seemed like a great idea. not only was there a birthday to celebrate, but there were two new babies to see, and friends (that, hell, are like family) to visit. it feels like a second home to me, and every time i visit, i fall in love with something new. 100% of the time i fall in love with a new food or snack. i know london gets a bad rap for having shitty food-- but it's NOT true! if you think that, you haven't been, or you've put no effort into finding something good. eating at the markets alone (borough, broadway, etc) will have you in foodie ecstasy. the curries, the tea, the scones, the biscuits and the cheese are usually AHmazing.



for baby brother's birthday, we took over lock tavern. one of my fave pubs in london, and surely the best one in camden. good beer, cool space, good pub food, CUTE bar staff (for this lady)... i spent the day making good ol american cupcakes and brownies. it involved a trip to morrisons, icing brought in from new york, and a trip on bus 149 through stamford hill, and carrying them through hackney past an old man who called me a 'cunt' (TRUE STORY! such lovely old men live in the east end). in the end, they were very appreciated. everyone was nom nom noming them like mad.

the mustard of all mustards - via gent!

recently my parents went on a trip through brussels (lucky them) and they brought me back some of the most sought after mustard on earth. no really--- it's nigella lawsons' favorite- but- this little shop refuses to ship the yellow goodness to her or anyone else. you can only get it straight from the shop, and straight from the mustard barrel!




i decided this special mustard deserved to be paired with some worthy bread-- so i set out to almondine for a pretzel and cheese roll. truly amazing on its own, but i knew it would go great with any mustard.

i have to be honest-- this spicy yellow gold lived up to the hype. great mustard flavor, a bit of spice that subsides quickly after. the adorable jar it comes in isn't too bad either. i also made some AMAZING salad dressing with it. i don't consider myself a condiment snob, but i really do appreciate a sauce that is made with this much skill, love and tradition.