Category: baking

This cake, oh my. It is crunchy, sweet, salty and so moist and hits all the right spots. I got this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, and tweaked just a few things. I notice all of her desserts are spot on and super straight forward. So if you’re ever needing some inspiration definitely go check her out!

GF Pistachio Cake: Yield 2- 8″ cake rounds (you can freeze one round or make a double layered cake if desired!)

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 + 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1+1/2 cups pistachios, roasted + salted, roughly chopped
• 2 + 1/3 cup sifted gluten free flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup whole milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes.
2. Scrape the bowl and add the vanilla + almond extract, mix on medium speed and add the egg whites in one at a time, allowing each to incorporate fully.
3. While egg whites are mixing, in a separate bowl combine the pistachios, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom. Whisk together and sift 2 times to ensure all lumps are removed.
4. Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions. Then immediately add the sour cream, and slowly pour in the milk. Mix on low for about a minute, scrape the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds to ensure batter is fully cohesive.
5. Spray and parchment paper line baking pans. Fill each pan about half way. Bake for about 1 hour, covering the cakes with foil after 40 minutes. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You may need to bake longer depending on your oven, keep an eye on your cakes!
6. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

• 8 ounces dark chocolate, cut into small pieces
• 6 ounces salted butter
• Maldon sea salt for garnish

Directions:

1. Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Melt the butter in a sauce pot on high heat. Remove from heat as soon as butter starts to simmer and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute.
2. Using a metal spoon, gently stir the butter into the chocolate, avoiding creating air bubbles.
3. Let the chocolate cool for about 3 minutes before pouring over the cake. You can help the chocolate cool by slowly stirring it.
4. When the chocolate is cooled, take one 8″ cake round on desired serving platter and slowly start pouring the chocolate directly into the center of the cake, allowing the chocolate to naturally fill the top of the cake and drip down the sides. If you wish, let the chocolate cool completely and pour more chocolate a second time to create a thicker frosting. Sprinkle immediately with Maldon sea salt.
5. *Optional* Cut one cake round in half and spread any jam of your choosing in the center. I used raspberry jam for my cake!
6. Let cake cool to room temperature before cutting and serving. If you’re serving the cake the next day, allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

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There you have it ! A super easy and fun cake for your friends and family to enjoy. I made this beauty for a friend’s birthday, I tried to honor her spirituality with the crescent moon and she loved it ! It’s so fun to celebrate the people in our lives that we love.
I will be posting a video on my instagram of my free handed moon, go check it out if you want to see how I did it!
Thanks for reading! Make sure to share this recipe with a friend, and let me know what you think! Cheers + happy baking!

Continue reading “Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Sandwiches with Salted Caramel Frosting.” →

Continue reading “Matcha Cake with Masala Chai Frosting” →

Happy Holiday Season! This coffee cake is perfect for any part of your festivities this year. Whether it’s a breakfast pastry with a fresh cup of coffee, warmed up with a scoop of your favorite ice cream, or just a cozy feel-good snack, you’ll be happy to have it’s company.

TIP: For this recipe, I melted 1 & 1/2 total cups of butter and held it on my stove ready to go. I used the excess butter to grease my pan and then added whatever remaining into the filling and streusel topping. Butter makes everything better.

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground decaf or regular coffee
• 1/2 cup salted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Cinnamon-Almond Streusel Topping

• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground decaf or regular coffee
• 1/2-3/4 cup salted butter, melted
• 3/4 – 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup toasted almonds, cut into pieces (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside. Note: Streusel should be crumbly, if it’s to wet add more flour, if it’s to dry add more melted butter.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake: Yields 1-9×9″ baking pan.

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup whole milk (or a milk alternative of your choice)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. decaf or regular coffee grounds
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Assembling the Coffee Cake:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, almond extract, milk and sugar. Whisk until all ingredients are combined. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, coffee grounds and cinnamon. Whisk until batter is smooth.
2. Pour half of the batter into a greased pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling over the batter.
3. Pour the remaining batter over the filling, spreading the batter to completely cover the filling.
4. Spread the cinnamon-almond streusel topping over the top of the batter.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes starting on the bottom rack, cover with foil, then bake for an additional 20-25 minutes on the top rack.
6. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

The texture of the cake is moist with subtle notes of coffee and sweet almond, the cinnamon sugar filling comes in with a spicy zing, finishing off with the crunchy cinnamon-almond streusel on top. Absolute perfection! The thing I love the most about this coffee cake recipe is that it’s quite versatile and keeps perfectly at room temperature for a few days. I made cranberry-lemon version for my parents that they raved about! (I really regret not taking any pictures of that one). I have plans for a pumpkin, apple and chocolate-coconut version too, mostly to indulge in my own cravings. This coffee cake fills the house with joy and warmth, perfect for this time of year.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe. Share it with a friend. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, whatever you may be celebrating. Cheers and happy baking!

Hello friends and happy fall! Today’s cookie is inspired by my Dad’s birthday! When I think about what dessert my Dad enjoys eating, I always have flashbacks of a giant ice cream sundae in his lap covered with wet walnuts, chocolate fudge and whipped cream. Since I can’t make him a sundae for his birthday, I decided to incorporate some of those flavors into this cookie! Alas, these cookies came to mind with the help of my husband inspiring the addition of white chocolate. These have an awesome crunch with lots of chocolate. What more do you really need?

Triple Chocolate Walnut Cookie Dough

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 eggs, at room temp.
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup melted chocolate
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup toasted walnut pieces

Directions:

1. Set your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate. Set aside and allow to cool to room temp.
3. In a kitchen aid with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar & white sugar on medium speed until fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Scrape down the bowl and add in the eggs one at a time. Mixing each egg in completely.
5. Turn the mixer off and add in the almond extract, salt, cocoa powder and melted chocolate. Mix on low until incorporated.
6. Turn the mixer off and add in the remaining ingredients. Mix on low until dough comes together.
7. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour before baking.
8. Measure out cookies to your desired size and bake for about 15 minutes.
9. Let cool completely before removing from pans.

What I love most about these cookies is the crunch of the walnuts, the sweetness of the almond extract and all that gooey chocolate. The melted chocolate really makes this dough decadent! If you so desired I could see the addition of some coffee grounds adding even more flavor to these. These cookies are definitely best served warm!

Thanks for reading, I hope you get the chance to make this recipe soon! Make sure to share this recipe with a friend, and let me know what you think of them. Cheers!

I am so happy one of my friends asked me to make these for her Grandfather’s 92nd birthday! These are so adorable, and who doesn’t love a classic cinnamon crumb cake?! Add chocolate and BAM these are perfection.

Crumb Topping:

• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temp
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
2. Using your hands, cut the butter into the flour until mixture comes together.
3. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use.

Mexi-Mocha Cupcakes: yield 16 each

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. Dutch cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tbsp. regular or decaf coffee grounds
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup room temp water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Set oven to 325F.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. In a liquid measuring cup whisk together the wet ingredients- add to the dry ingredients. Whisk batter together.
4. Measure out the batter into the cupcake tins, filling each cup 1/2 way full.
5. Generously add the crumb topping on top of the raw cakes.
6. Bake for 10 minutes on the bottom rack of your oven, then transfer the cupcakes to the top half for the remainder of the baking- about 15 minutes.
7. Let cool completely before removing from cupcake tin.

Chocolate Ganache Drizzle

• semi-sweet chocolate chips- 4 ounces (1/2 cup)
• heavy cream- 4 ounces (1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Measure out the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl.
2. In a sauce pot, gently bring the cream to a boil.
3. Pour cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes, then stir together. Hold at room temperature on top of the oven until ready to drizzle.
4. Drizzle chocolate over crumb cakes, serve & enjoy!

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My house smells so wonderful! The warm spice of the cinnamon, the decadent chocolate, wow. I can’t wait to try one of these! These are a great snack to have around the house, perfect with a fresh cup of coffee!

Thanks for reading today, I hope you find the time to make this recipe, you won’t be disappointed! Make sure to share it with a friend, and as always, happy baking! Cheers.

Happy September friends! From the things I have been reading it is supposed to be a very transformative month. The number 9 symbolizes great evolution and the birth of a new cycle of life (metaphorically). I thought that was pretty inspiring, and these zesty lemon bars will allow you to welcome all that positive change into your lives with a little more sweetness! There are hundreds of different lemon bar recipes out there, and this is my personal no-fail recipe. I know you’re going to love it!

Lemon Bars– Yields 1-9×13″ baking pan

For the Crust:

• unsalted butter, cold & cubed- 1/2 cup (8 oz.)
• toasted coconut flakes- 1/2 cup (optional)
• all purpose flour- 2 cups
• almond extract- 1 tsp.
• salt- 1/2 tsp.

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, cut the butter into the flour until all of the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture starts to form into a dough. (it will be pretty crumbly but should stick together if you press it in your hands)
3. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of your baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Set aside at room temperature.

For the Filling:

• eggs, at room temp- 6 each
• sugar- 3 cups
• lemon zest- 4 each
• lemon juice- 1 cup
• almond extract- 1/2 tsp.
• all purpose flour- 1 cup.

Directions:

1. Zest and juice the lemons and set aside.
2. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Whisk constantly and add in the sugar 1 cup at a time.
3. Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk together to ensure no lumps are left behind.
4. Pour the custard onto your par-baked crust and bake for about 20 minutes.
5. Check the lemon bars, the center should not be giggly at all. If needed, continue to bake for an additional 5-15 minutes until custard has cooked completely.
6. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting and serving. Refrigerate after baking.

Zesty, sweet, and delicate- they go fabulous with a glass of white wine or iced tea! I love this recipe because they are easy, delicious and can be ready in about an hour. A true crowd pleaser and wonderful to travel with! In fact, the ones I baked today are heading to Walla Walla, Washington with my friends to enjoy on their anniversary weekend!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe. Make sure to share it with a friend and let me know what you think of it! Cheers and Happy Labor Day Weekend!

This morning I literally jumped out of bed from excitement to bake today. That’s how I know I am living out my life’s purpose. Sometimes I laugh at myself because it seems so simple, but it truly fills my soul. Today I am making galettes; which are basically hand pies. Ditch the pie tin and get your rolling pin out! These really aren’t as hard to make as they look, and you can make them as small or large as you like. These are wonderful for gatherings, holidays, or if you just enjoy having some treats on hand.

Continue reading “Roasted Nectarine and Cherry Galette with Orange Mascarpone Cream” →

Hello bakers, welcome back. Today I have a wonderful pie recipe for you that I know you’re going to love. This pie has no added sugar, which makes eating it all the sweeter. Of course, you can add sugar if you desire. The crust is more of a shortbread than a classic crust recipe, and it’s my favorite kind of crust for fruit pies. The crust melts in your mouth, and I am obsessed with crumble on desserts. I re-created this pie after one I devoured in Manzanita, Oregon from a little family owned pie shop for my birthday, and it struck me that I needed it in my life.

Continue reading “Blueberry-Peach Pie with Coconut-Almond Crust and Crumble.” →

Welcome back friends! As summer is slowly wrapping up there is no reason to fret, stone fruits are at their peak ripeness amongst us – and they need to be eaten! This is quite a special time of year, utilize your local farmers and get to work! This combination of flavors is inspired by my husband, Mark. I want to thank him for always having some good liquor stocked in the freezer to allow my imagination for creating desserts run wild! Remember, if you’re going to use alcohol in a recipe, make sure it’s on that you enjoy drinking!

Continue reading “Roasted Peach Cupcakes with Bourbon Maple Mascarpone Frosting” →

Hello friends, long time no see! I hope all of you are enjoying summer as much as I’ve been thus far- it’s hard to believe its already August! I’ve spent a lot of my days at beautiful Oregon rivers, soaking in all of Mother Nature’s glory. This cake was created for my very special friend’s birthday! It’s super moist with fresh summer lavender, zesty lemon, and a hint of cardamom to tie it all together.

Continue reading “Vegan Summer Birthday Cake: Lavender-Lemon with Sprinkle Frosting.” →

Okay so those who know me know I’m obsessed with sprinkles and I absolutely loved funfetti growing up. Let’s be honest, home made cake is always better than boxed cake mix. It seems easy right, just add sprinkles to vanilla cake? Sure, it can be that easy- but if you want a really good funfetti cake recipe that tastes like the boxed stuff but better- you came to the right place.

Continue reading “Funfetti Cupcakes” →

Okay so this cake is truly the perfect blog cake. It came at the spur of the moment for me when I realized I needed to bring dessert to my friends house, Emily, for a dinner date. It’s got layers of flavor including fruit, two kinds of chocolate, almond butter & coconut. I wanted to make an egg-free, “healthy” cake for me and my friend to enjoy and had to get real creative with what I had on hand. And so this cake was born!

Continue reading “My Emmy Cake” →

If you are one of those people who used to eat peanut butter & banana sandwiches as a kid as I did, this cake is for you. It’s so nostalgic. I did some research and found a wonderful & easy banana cake recipe, thanks to http://food.com. I have found consistently this website has the best recipes, without fail. I imagine much like some of you, I don’t so much enjoy cake recipes that have 16 ingredients, I find to be a bit redundant. So I love how easy this recipe is and it yields the moistest (is that a word? it is now) banana cake I’ve ever had.

Continue reading “Banana Cake with Peanut Butter and Whipped Chocolate Ganache” →

Oh my goodness the amount of strawberries I’ve eaten this season is border line getting out of hand. I knew I couldn’t keep procrastinating on a strawberry shortcake- so here’s my newest version of it! I decided to make this cake egg free so I could fully induldge in it! What I love about the vegan cake recipe is it only requires 1 bowl, and you don’t have to use non-dairy milk if you don’t want to- it will turn out just as beautifully.

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Where are my coconut lovers at? I absolutely love this cake recipe, it’s one I stumbled across years ago and haven’t stopped making since. The original recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten- a woman I truly admire in this industry. This cake has a wonderful crust that encompasses a soft and fluffy coconut crumb. And the frosting…I think it’s my favorite frosting I’ve made to date, no joke! A perfect balance of lime and coconut- it’s a really great summer cupcake.

Continue reading “Coconut-Lime Cupcakes with Coconut-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting” →

Ah, the classic pb&j. I’ve been craving it all week, and I am excited to share this recipe with you! The best part about this recipe is that you don’t have to turn your oven on! This is a no-bake recipe because let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t have the time or energy to get into a baking project but need a quick & delicious dessert.

Continue reading “Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake Bars” →

These brownies are amazing and so easy to make! All you need is one bowl and a whisk. Of course, I had to come in and put my own touch on them, but nonetheless, everyone can eat these and enjoy them. I love a recipe like that!

Continue reading “Vegan Brownies” →

It’s time for carrot cake, but instead- carrot cake cookies with almond-cardamom cream cheese frosting. These cookies are so chewy and make an awesome cookie sandwich!

Continue reading “Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches” →

This cake hits all the right spots. I am ecstatic about making it & sharing this recipe with you guys! This cake is a crazy amazing combination of coffee, chocolate and caramel. All of these strong flavors compliment each other so well, you will not be dissapointed!

Continue reading “Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting and Coffee Ganache” →

Hello bakers! This recipe is one for the books, grab your pen and make sure you jot this one down. I altered this recipe to be a low carb and low sugar cookie. A guilt-free cookie for all to enjoy!

Continue reading “Almond-Mocha Cookies” →

Hello friends and welcome back! I hope your baking adventures have been going well and you’ve been enjoying indulging in some sweet treats! Today, I am sharing with you a little cupcake recipe I put together with some of the leftover mascarpone whipped cream I had!

Continue reading “Mocha Cupcakes with Almond Mascarpone Whipped Cream” →

Okay, I am about to get real serious, because I’m about to share my favorite dessert with you. That dessert, is tiramisu. Maybe it’s my Italian ancestors shining through, encouraging me to continue the tradition of tiramisu, holding it close to my heart. I’m extremely proud of this recipe because it’s one I’ve created from scratch. I know you’re going to love it. Oh, and I am transforming this classic trifle into a cake, because I can and cakes are fun!

Continue reading “Tiramisu Cake” →

Hello friends and welcome back! I am very excited to share this cake with you today.

As y’all can see, I have been pretty obsessed with making desserts with brown butter. I love the depth of flavor brown butter brings to the table. This recipe is ridiculously easy to throw together, you guys need to make this recipe. I added almond extract to mine, because I love almond extract.

Continue reading “Brown Butter Blondies” →

Welcome back friends, I am so excited to finally be posting about these rolls that I made earlier this week. They’re so amazing and I know you’re going to love them.

Continue reading “Lavender Cardamom Rolls” →

Happy Wednesday all! I am really excited to share what I have been creating with you guys today. I have somewhat of a signature cake, it’s called Guilty Pleasure. It consists of chocolate cake, drizzled and layered with dark chocolate ganache and chocolate chip cookies. It’s an absolute crowd pleaser and one of my favorite cakes. Earlier this week I had a friend reach out asking for a cake, for what was supposed to be her daughter’s graduation this weekend. She required something with chocolate and something decadent. After messaging back and forth about the Guilty Pleasure, she decided that instead of chocolate chip cookies in the middle, she wanted BROWNIE PIECES. I nearly lost my mind because I can’t believe I’ve never even considered doing that. It inspired my search for the perfect brownie recipe, and, the new cake was born.

Continue reading “My Brown Butter Brownie Cake.” →

Alright guys, I figured I better post a peanut butter cookie recipe since getting some good feedback from the chocolate chip. Plus, I’m pretty sure everyone loves peanut butter cookies just as much. This recipe is indeed, amazing. In it, I like to use chunky peanut butter. The texture is a nice touch, I also enjoy adding a few chocolate chips for a little pop. Who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter? Soft, chewy, crispy edges, touch of sea salt – almost too good to be true.

Continue reading “Peanut Butter Cookies” →

Hello friends, and thanks for stopping in. I want to be a source of information as well as recipes for you. I think it’s fun to learn about new things, and today I want to teach you about some of the most common ingredients you’ll see in recipes. I’m going to break down what they do, why their important, and why you should always follow suggested guidelines (i.e. softened butter, room temperature ingredients). Let’s dive in!

Continue reading “Breakdown of ingredients. What do they do and why are they important?” →

Wow. I’ve been looking forward to posting these biscuits all day. I am astonished at how well they turned out. Truthfully, probably the best batch I’ve made in my career. I’m not sure what made these so different, maybe just all the practice that I’ve had over the years. I think part of it is since starting this blog, all I can think about is how much I want to bake. It feels like my love for baking has re-ignited in a very powerful way.

Hello friends, and thanks for coming back. I want to drop some knowledge, you’ll see me doing a lot of these types of posts. Mainly because I want to break things down for you so you understand HOW baking works. Plus my entire life revolves around this stuff and I’m a complete baking nerd. So let’s talk about cookies, and ensure you know how to always make a great cookie dough. I want to start off by saying that you always have to remember that you are in control of your dough! It’s something that the Chef’s at CIA used to say allllll the time, and although its kinda of a funny saying, its compltely true!

Continue reading “Basics of Baking: Cookies” →

Hey everyone, and welcome back! I want to help my blog be “user friendly”. That way you all can follow along and be prepared with the proper tools and knowledge to bake efficiently at home. I also want to cover all of the basics, that way if you are a beginner, you can reference this page if you forget what something means or what you might need. I’m going to start off by listing my favorite tools / products and why you should have them too. Most of these tools can be purchased from WalMart, Michaels, Target or Amazon.

Continue reading “Suggested baking tools, language and more.” →

Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well, thanks for joining me. I want to talk about how to bake the perfect cake. Too many times over and over again people will continuously over bake their cake resulting in a dry, crumbly texture. As many of you know every oven is different, but honestly with this trick, it won’t matter whether you have a convection or conventional oven, you will get a moist cake every single time.

Continue reading “How to bake a perfect cake.” →