Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cake

Undoubtedly, you know what Saturday is. I mean, how could you not? If one more person asks me what I'm doing for The-Holiday-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, I might have to end it all.

Now I'm not one of those girls you'll find with mascara-stained cheeks sobbing over a bottle of red wine and a pint of ice cream, but I still find the whole thing kind of tedious. Restaurants are overpriced, the food usually falls flat, and it's nearly impossible to navigate the streets without bumping into some starry-eyed, star-crossed lover on a mad dash to buy roses (hey, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, am I right?).

Instead, I want to have a day filled with delicious things. Things I make myself. Though if I'm being honest here, there might be an extra-large Domino's pizza heading to my door, if I play my cards right. This chocolate yogurt snack cake is the perfect thing to make. You can have a slice for breakfast, another for lunch, and then polish of the rest of the cake for dinner. And no one can stop you.

Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
200 grams semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt (ideally Greek or Icelandic, for a thick texture)
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Brandy

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch loaf tin, line with parchment paper, and grease parchment. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sea salt. In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate with 1/4 cup coconut oil. Once melted and smooth, remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup coconut oil, yogurt, brown sugar, eggs, and almond extract. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Gently fold in dry ingredients. Pour into prepared baking tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth and light. Add coconut milk and almond extract and beat to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat to incorporate.

In a large bowl, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and Brandy and whisk to incorporate.

Once cake is cooled, ice and serve with brandied whipped cream.

More Snack Cakes
Mango Bread
Blueberry Cardamom Crumb Cake
Strawberry Almond Crumb Cake

Earl Grey Tea Cake

No matter what else is going on in my life, there is one constant. I may be transitioning. I may have a lot on my plate. But I always have a cup of tea.

The season and my mood dictate the type I reach for. And my schedule may lead me to choose a bag of tea over a nicer loose leaf. No matter the variety, I can't actually remember the last day I went without a mug of tea. Or a cuppa, as the Brits call it.

Because I've been going pretty non-stop for the past few months, my body is run down. Travel, work, and settling into a new life in a new city have left me tired and a bit lackluster, so my usual cup a day has turned into mug after mug. I'll stop into the tea parlor down the road for a match a latte, having just downed a thermos full of Darjeeling at home.

I know it's not a cure-all, but it is comforting. And whatever else I put my poor body through (I am well aware that eating out and going out are not exactly easy on my system), I feel that tea helps me detoxify and decompress. And while I'm more than happy with a simple Genmaicha or Oolong, it is nice to have some accompaniment every now and again. And what goes better with tea than tea cake?

Earl Grey Tea Cake

Adapted from Paris Pastry Club

Makes 1 loaf

For the cake:

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Zest from two clementines

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

2 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Beans from one vanilla pod

2/3 cup creme fraiche

3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

For the clementine confit:

4 clementines, thinly sliced

1/2 cup water

1 cup caster sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Beans from one vanilla pod

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter one loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Butter parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and zest. In a large bowl, rub caster sugar and tea leaves together until it is a fine meal and fragrant. Add eggs and beans from vanilla pod and whisk until light in color, about 4 minutes. Gradually fold in flour mixture, careful not to overbeat. Fold in creme fraiche and butter. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

To make the clementine confit: Place clementines, water, caster sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla beans in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until clementines are soft and syrupy. Serve clementine confit over cooled, sliced tea cake.

More Tea Cakes

Blueberry Tea Cake

Coconut Cardamom Lime Tea Cake

Coconut Tea Cakes

Bay Leaf Pound Cake

Or should I call it Bae Leaf Pound Cake? Anyone? No? Everyone else may be over the bae phenomenon, but I most certainly am not. I think the appearance of the word bae in our vernacular was, quite possibly, the single greatest linguistic advent in my lifetime.

Now this may seem like an exaggeration to you, but I find 'bae' slipping into my conversations at the very least a handful of times a day. It's my favorite of endearment. It's tender. It's sweet. And it suits all of my best baes perfectly. Just like this pound cake.

Bay leaf isn't usually the first flavor that comes to mind when you think sweets, but please don't relegate it to the realm of ragù and lentil soup. It brings an earthy, herbal quality to this pound cake that indulges my penchant for desserts that taste like soap. The moist, tender crumb studded with vanilla beans becomes hearty and complex with the addition of bay leaves, and the richness is cut by the tart clementine glaze.

So I implore you. Make this cake now. And make it before bae (bay) leaves.

Bay Leaf Pound Cake

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Makes 1 loaf or small bundt cake

For the cake:

6 tablespoons salted butter

3 fresh bay leaves, plus more for decoration

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup golden caster sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup mascarpone

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Finely grated zest of 2 clementines

Beans scraped from one vanilla pod

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice from 2 clementines

1 teaspoon Grand Mariner

Preheat oven to 350. Thoroughly grease bundt pan or loaf pan, dust with flour, then tap out excess. In a small saucepan set over low, heat butter until melted. Place bay leaves in melted butter and leave to steep for one hour. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together mascarpone, eggs, zest, and vanilla beans. Once butter has steeped for an hour, whisk into mascarpone mixture. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients in. Gently stir in wet ingredients in a figure-8 motion, careful not to over-mix. Spread batter evenly in prepared baking dish. Lay extra bay leaves over top of the batter in any pattern you choose. Place in oven for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown and firm to the touch and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. While cake is cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, clementine juice, and Grand Mariner. Once cake has cooled, remove from pan and drizzle with glaze.

More Pound Cake

Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Poppyseed Buttercream

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Rosewater Glitter Cake

I can honestly say I've never been anywhere stranger in my life. Tokyo is like another world. Walking around, Beau and I are pretty much the only white people. I'm not really sure what I expected, but everyone here is, well, Japanese.

Getting around is a nightmare. The address system is meaningless, and not just to a foreigner. We, along with nearly every Tokyo native, seem to be consulting the subway maps at every stop, not quite sure where we are going. Cab drivers are equally clueless, unsure of even the most touristic sites like the Meiji Shrine. We have probably spent the majority of our time here looking for things.

 All that being said, the food is incredible. Even the snacks we've picked up at the convenience stores are delicious. The Pocky, Joy Packs, and Royal Milk Tea really put Snackwells, Cheetos, and Mountain Dew to shame. And the sweets are no exception. Tottering around the food halls at Mitsukoshi and Isetan was a revelatory experience. A new standard for food halls has really been set, and I just don't think Harrod's or Le Bon Marché will really measure up anymore.

Have a hakering for octopus balls? You've got it. More interested in sampling an array of Sake? Mitsukoshi's the place. Want to gorge yourself on tasty sweets in the most lovely packaging you'll ever see? Take the escalator to the basement of Mitsukoshi and prepare to be dazzled. Across the board, every dessert here is really beautiful. They pay as much attention to appearance as they do to taste. And they really deliver on both accounts. So, in keeping with their mantra of form and function, I give you this knockout cake.

  Rosewater Glitter Cake
Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon
Makes one 9-inch layer cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons rosewater, divided
1/2 cup simple syrup

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
7 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Fresh blueberries
Gold luster dust

Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper. Butter parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine. Beat in dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with buttermilk. Stir in 1 tablespoon rosewater. Divide batter between prepared cake tins. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. While cakes bake, cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated. Beat in milk and vanilla extract. Scrape beans from split vanilla bean and beat to incorporate. Once baked, let cakes cool completely on a wire rack. Remove cakes from tins and slice in half using a serrated knife or cake leveler. Stir together remaining rosewater and simple syrup. Place a single cake round onto cake plate and brush top with rosewater syrup. Add a thin layer of frosting over syrup and top with another layer of cake. Repeat until all layers have been used. Coat the cake in a thin layer of frosting to create a crumb coat and place in fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Decorate cake with remaining frosting and dust with luster dust. Roll blueberries in luster dust and scatter over cake.

  More Pretty Cakes

Coconut Tea Cakes
Chocolate and Zucchini Cake
Chambord Cherry Cake

Apple Tea Cake with Oat-Pecan Streusel

Hey. How are ya? I'm going to skip right over the whole apologetic blogger thing, and get straight to the point. This tea cake? It's delicious. And if you make it, you'll think it's the second coming because your house will smell heavenly.

I have been baking quite a bit, after finally settling into my new flat, but seeing as the charming security agents in Kiev Borispol, which, let me tell you, is one hell of an airport, destroyed my camera lens, photographing the tasty things that paraded out of my oven proved problematic. There have been so many things that I wanted to tell you about- Toblerone cookies, toffee caramel chocolate chip cookies, and some seriously good blondies my flatmate Caitlin made. But I just didn't have any way to share them with you.

Luckily, I have my brother's camera on loan until I sort out my own camera. It's taking some getting used to, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it before too long. Though I can honestly say these are certainly not my finest photos, I do implore you to try this recipe. It's easy peasy and really couldn't be much tastier. I had all of the ingredients on hand, save the apple juice, and it came together in no time. And, it's so moist and so moreish, I think it'll be gone from my kitchen table before too long.

Apple Tea Cake with Oat-Pecan Streusel
Makes one 9-inch loaf

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup rapeseed (Canola) oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cloudy apple juice
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates

For the streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 teaspoon table salt
4 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together brown sugar and rapeseed oil. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with apple juice, and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in apples and dates. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet.
For the streusel: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, pecans and salt. Add butter and beat on medium speed until the mixture is in pea-sized lumps. Sprinkle over top of tea cake.
To bake: Slide filled loaf pan into the center rack of the oven. Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack. Once cool, remove from baking tin and invert, streusel-side up, onto a cake plate or serving platter.

  More Tea Cakes
Sticky Ginger Spice Cake
Fig and Raspberry Tea Cake
Spiced Persimmon Tea Cake

Yellow Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

Do you want the bad news or the good news first? Bad news? Ok, here it goes. I think I'm losing my sweet tooth. Well, not losing really. I mean, a girl's gotta have a little sugar every now and again, doesn't she? I'd say it's softening. I'm more inclined to reach for a little nugget of salted caramel or a big, juicy hunk of pineapple than a rich, dark brownie.

I don't know why, and I don't know how. I just know that it's happening. But it's bound to return sooner or later. While I'm no longer scrambling around the cabinets of my kitchen in search of cookies or chocolate, I still like to balance my snacking. No, no, no. I don't mean the carrots-and-hummus, hardboiled-egg, handful-of-nuts kind of balance. I'm talking about sweet vs. salty.

If you've ever found yourself licking your salt-caked lips, in desperate need of a little relief from your popcorn-induced insanity at the movie theater, you know what I'm talking about. If you eat one sort of snack for too long, you're done for. The same goes for sweets. Try eating a whole sleeve of chocolate-covered digestive cookies (actually, don't. it is a really terrible idea, I swear) without the balance of a fistful or two of lightly salted Kettle Chips, and you are bound to feel sick to your stomach.

So, despite my newfound propensity to choose cheese over chocolate chip cookies and roasted vegetables over rhubarb pie, there is still a time and a place for a little something sweet. That's why I like yellow cake. It's not quite as intense as flourless chocolate cake, and it's just sweet enough to satisfy. And now for the good news. Don't worry. I didn't forget about it. I have cake for you! I can't actually give you a slice, but you're welcome to stop by for one. In exchange, I offer you this recipe. It is tried and true. And the perfect way to ring in an eighteenth birthday. Happy Belated Riley!

  Yellow Cake

Makes 2 9-inch round cakes

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 3/4 cups caster sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line with bottoms with parchment paper, and butter parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Beat in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk. Beat until just combined. Do not over-mix. Divide batter between cake pans and smooth. Bang cake pans on counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack. Using a serrated knife cut of tops of cakes to ensure cake layers are level. Ice cake with vanilla buttercream once completely cool.

Vanilla Buttercream

Makes enough for 1 two-layer cake

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

Beans scraped from 1/2 vanilla pod

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add icing sugar and beat, starting at a low speed, and gradually increase speed until icing sugar is completely incorporated. Beat in milk, vanilla beans, and vanilla extract.

  More Celebration Cakes

Cinnamon Spiced Mini Cupcakes

Coconut Cake

German Tree Cake

Spiced Apple Cupcakes with Butterscotch Sauce

Guess what.

 I'm hungry. Yeah, I guess really no surprise there. Even if I'm not actually hungry, I find myself craving something. Sometimes it's chocolate chip cookie dough. Sometimes it's pumpkin soup. A lot of the time it's roast chicken. Strange, I know.

Oftentimes, my cravings are incited by my near constant blog-trolling. My roommates can attest to the fact that I am frequently flipping from blog to blog in search of the next delicious and inspiring thing. Luckily, my favorite websites never fall short. There is always something that sets my stomach grumbling away. And what my stomach wants, my stomach most definitely gets.

A few days ago, a recipe for spiced apple cupcakes caught my eye while I scrolled through Raspberri Cupcakes. I set my computer aside, rolled out of bed, and padded down the stairs to inspect my cupboards. For once, I had everything I needed. Except the maple syrup. As I weighed my options, deciding whether it was worth the long trek to Tesco (it is literally right across the street), I remembered that I had a huge vat of butterscotch sauce I had made only the day before hanging out in my fridge.

Jackpot! Because homemade butterscotch sauce makes everything better. I won't even tell if you drizzle a little in your morning Greek yogurt.

  Spiced Apple Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 medium crisp apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with papers. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Cream butter and sugars together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and egg and beat to combine. Beat in grated apple. Beat in dry ingredients slowly until just combined. Divide batter between muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, until cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool. Dip each cupcake in finished butterscotch sauce.

Butterscotch Sauce
You will have lots of leftover butterscotch sauce, but it keeps in the fridge and is great for spooning over ice cream or other tea cakes


3 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups water, divided
10 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan with tall sides, mix 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water until it has the consistency of wet sand. Turn heat on high and cook until deep amber in color and slightly smoking. Carefully pour in remaining 1 cup water. It will splatter. Whisk constantly over medium heat until caramel reduces slightly and become sticky. Remove from heat and let cool. Meanwhile, cream butter and remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar in an electric mixer. Beat in salt. Slowly pour cooled caramel into mixer and beat until combined.

  More Fall Desserts
Apple Cider Doughnut Pancakes
Baked Pumpkin Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Pear, Cranberry, and Gingersnap Crumble

Beaumes-de-Venise Cake

When I went home for a few days, I was greeted by the greatest weather I could hope for. Well, at this time of year anyway. And in Charleston, no less. I left New York right before the sickly heat wave struck, and I managed to land in relatively mild weather. This break in the weather, coupled with a fully-functioning air-conditioning unit made it possible for me to bake up a storm.

I made ice cream. I made cake. I made bread pudding. I made quick-bread. Don't worry; I promise to share it all with you. But, out of everything I made, this cake was undoubtedly and absolutely my favorite.

This lovely, tender cake hails from Provence. Originally made with raisins, it is a wonderful blank canvas for any fresh or dried fruit that strikes your fancy. It is subtle, yet still seductive, flavored with sweet wine and sprinkled with sugar. It is as delicious as it is beautiful- delicate, almost floral, and dangerously addictive.

Beaumes-de-Venise Cake

Adapted from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes

Serves 8-10

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

2 eggs

1 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 cup Beaumes-de-Venise, Muscat, or other sweet wine

2 cups raspberries, apricot quarters, or small figs cut in half

Preheat oven to 400. Brush a 10-inch springform pan with olive oil. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a medium-sized bowl. Beat together 1 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, and ¼ cup olive oil in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat in eggs and lemon zest. Add dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with wine. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle raspberries over batter. Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is set. Dot the top of the cake with remaining tablespoon butter, sprinkling with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes more, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely and release from pan.

More French Cakes
Kouign Amann
Gateau Breton
Madeleines

Strawberry Sour Cream Upside-Down Cake

Do you ever feel like you need cake for breakfast? Not a whole cake, of course, but a slice. Or two. On a dreary morning, there's honestly nothing better than a warm, slightly sweet piece of cake. Especially when there's a beautiful, glossy layer of caramelized strawberries on top. Because who doesn't like a bit of pink in the morning?

The sour cream keeps this cake incredibly moist. Even after a stay in the freezer, it was delicious and tasted fresh, which is good news because I rarely have time to bake in the mornings. The brown sugar forms a sticky, golden crust and softens and sweetens the strawberries, making them almost candy-like. It makes a lovely everyday cake, but it is dressy enough to serve for a special occasion.

Strawberry Sour Cream Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Joy the Baker
Makes one 8-inch cake

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup sliced strawberries

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the 2 tablespoons of butter in the cake pan, and place the pan in the oven. Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the oven, tilting to coat the bottom. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar over the bottom of the pan. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and almond extract and beat for about a minute. Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until fully incorporated. Fold in the sour cream. The batter will be quite thick. Spoon the batter over the strawberries and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake rest for 10 minutes. Invert onto a cake plate.

More Upside-Down Cakes
Banana and Chocolate Chip Upside-Down Cake
Tomato Upside-Down Cake
Pumpkin, Fig, and Pomegranate Upside-Down Cake

Carol Kelly's Apple Cake

So I'm a little bit homesick. I never thought I'd say that. It's not that I'm not enjoying my classes or having a good time. No, that's not it at all. I just miss the comforts of my house- my family, my bed, my shower seat,  my mom's cooking. I could not be happier that I am flying back to South Carolina on Sunday. As Rhett Butler said, "I'm going back to Charleston. Back to where I belong." Well, at least where I belong right now.

They say that scent is the strongest memory trigger.  A few days ago, I really wanted to be reminded of home. There is one thing that I associate quite closely with being at home- Carol Kelly's apple cake. Ever since we moved to Charleston, my mom has baked this cake. A neighbor and family friend gave her this recipe in exchange for our recipe for spaghetti bolognese. I have to say, it was a good trade. We usually have one of these cakes knocking around in our freezer, waiting for me to grab a slice, defrost it, and curl up in our green leather chair in the foyer, nibbling slowly (alright, alright, not that slowly) until my plate is clean.

I begged my friend Theo for a few apples to dice up and throw into the cake. He happily obliged, asking only for a small slice in return. I had everything else floating around my room. That's part of the beauty of this cake. You will likely have all of the ingredients. Right in your pantry. Maybe that's why we made it so often. Or it could be because it's so delicious.

It is a really heavy cake. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's really satisfying- you feel like you could eat it for breakfast and be sustained well into the afternoon. The little chunks of apple lighten it up a bit and add a sharpness that balances the rich, sweetness of the cake. The top bakes up into a beautifully crunchy, golden brown layer that crackles merrily when you cut into the cake. It's homey and humble but perfect nonetheless. 

Carol Kelly's Apple Cake

Makes one tube cake or two 9-inch cakes

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

3 cups peeled and diced apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan.

Beat eggs, sugar, and oil in a mixer. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to the mixer and beat to incorporate. Fold in vanilla, nuts, and apples.

Pour batter into the greased tube pan. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes, and then remove to a rack to cool.

More Simple Cakes

Fresh Apricot and Ginger Cake

Banana Cake

Iced Carrot Loaf

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Today has been such a glorious day. People often mistake cheery, sun-drenched days for the best days, when, in fact, the days awash in mist and grey skies are the nicest. I woke up at 12:30 and ambled down to lunch. Emma, Daniela, and Ellie greeted me with a wonderful proposition of a walk into town to explore the new H&M, poke around Bonkers, and enjoy a steaming cup of hot chocolate at Bibi's.

The rain was coming down in thin sheets, enough to dampen your hair, but not so much so that you don't want to be outside. The town was blanketed in a sort of quiet that was soothing and even a little exhilarating. There were so many lovely, Christmas-y things in Bonkers that I could barely contain my excitement.

We sat down at a cozy booth in Bibi's, and I ordered a raisin scone with butter and jam and a butterscotch latte. Sitting there was just what I wanted at the time, surrounded by the din of customers eagerly clinking forks against plates and sipping inky coffee from warm mugs. We lingered for quite a while before slowly meandering back to halls.

We curled up in my room, listening to Bing Crosby sing Christmas carols. I turned on the radiator, which sputtered to life and sent pleasingly warm waves into my room. We chatted and gossiped a bit and made lists of Christmas cards we were going to send. The only thing that could have made this day any better would have been a warm slice of the cookie cake we made the other day to nibble at (and Milla as well!)

Cookie cakes always remind me of being young. Every month, an attentive mother would come to school around lunch time bearing a flourescently-iced cookie cake from Mrs. Fields in the mall. Everyone would happily wolf down their slice, hoping to snag a second piece before anyone noticed. This one is infinitely better. The brown sugar warms in up and gives it a bit of a carmel-y flavor. It may seem strange to have salt as well as salted butter, but it really plays up the sweet-salty contrast. There's something so much more satisfying about eating a slice of cookie than biting into a crumbly cookie. Maybe, just maybe, I'll make this day perfect and bake another!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes 24 slices

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup salted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups light-brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a jelly roll pan. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Add the egg and the vanilla and beat until combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, but be careful not to over-beat. Fold in the chocolate chips. Press the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Slice and serve with caramel ice cream or a dollop of dulce de leche.

More Cookie Cakes

Peanut Butter Cookie Cake
Frozen Chocolate Cookie Cake
Almond Shortbread Cookie Cake

Chocolate Guinness Cake

I regret making this cake. Not because it wasn't good. In fact, it's quite the opposite situation. After tasting it, all I can think about is digging my fork into a dense, rich slice and swooping it into my mouth. Why, oh why did I not make another? It seemed the sensible thing to do at the time, but now I've learned. From now on I will make double of everything.

Until this cake, I never craved chocolate cake. I wouldn't turn down a nibble if a friend had a slice for dessert, but I easily could have passed it up. Mostly, I was captivated by mouth-puckering lemon tarts, warmly spiced tea cakes, and nutty cookies. Now I'm beginning to reconsider. Is it possible that I actually like chocolate cake? A lot? 

I think the Guinness played a big part in my conversion. It rounded out the flavor of the chocolate, making it less sweet and more intense. It helped add a bit of a buttery flavor and really contributed to the moistness of the cake. My first reaction to putting beer in a cake- yuck. I don't like the flavor of beer, so I couldn't imagine it would be any good in cake.

However, it was a friend's birthday, and it sounded like the perfect dessert for him. Everyone deserves a little something sweet on their birthday, so it simply had to be done. Lucky for me, it was not as difficult as its ganache-coated three layers might indicate. It took me a little over an hour from start to finish, and it was well worth the effort.

I brought the cake to breakfast with (secret) hopes of having a sliver for breakfast. No luck. Ellie and I rushed back at lunch, trying to sneak in at the end of the celebration for a crumb or two, but he had decided to wait until dinner. Phew. Let's just say that was the longest meal of my life. It was delicious, if I do say so myself, and it left me wanting more.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 16 polite people, 8  hungry ones

1 cup Guinness
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder, whisked to remove lumps
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 8-inch cake pans. Bring the Guinness and the butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and sour cream together in another bowl using an electric mixer. Add the chocolate stout mixture to the egg-sour cream mixture and fold to incorporate. Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat carefully, avoiding over-beating. Divide between the cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before removing cakes from pans. Melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee granules together in a bowl set over simmering water. Allow to cool a bit before spreading over the cake layers. Dust with cocoa powder before serving.

More Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Rich Chocolate Cake with Gooseberries and Candied Clementines

Rose Petal Chocolate Cake

Brown Sugar Lemon Cake

Do you ever get an intense craving for something? Do you ever feel like you have to have something, and you have to have it right now? Most of the time you can indulge your hankering right away, swinging by the supermarket for a Snickers or meandering into town for a mini shopping spree. But other times, your craving is a little more complex. It requires work.

This presents a dilemma. Do you really want to go to the effort to make something for yourself? Do you want to get down the flour, pull the measuring cups from the cabinet, and preheat the oven???? Oftentimes, my laziness wins out, and I am left with a grumbling stomach and a cloud of grumpiness floating over me. But on those glorious occasions where I have a spurt of energy (or when you have to bake for someone else), I am rewarded and unbelievably satisfied.

Since I arrived in Scotland, I feel like I've been a little devoid of fruits and vegetables. Potatoes for breakfast, potatoes for lunch, potatoes for dinner. Don't get me wrong. I love potatoes as much as the next person, but a girl cannot live on potatoes alone. The fruit options are slim- a vibrantly green banana or a mushy apple. Not exactly enticing.

At home, I drink tons of water, and I always add a quarter of a lemon to my glass. It is an entirely different story here. Not only do I drink minimal water but it never has lemon in it. What an outrage! My need for a little citrusy kick finally overtook me on saturday. It simply had to be done. I had to make a lemon cake. Perfect timing, as a friend's birthday was on Sunday.

I wanted something a little different than your average lemon bundt cake or 1-2-3-4 cake. It didn't have to be outrageously complicated. It just needed to be tasty. So one of my friends Todd and I walked the 23 minutes to Morrison's in order to gain inspiration. I eyed stems of ginger and packets of dried cranberries, hoping to find the perfect partner for the lemon. I remembered I had run out of brown sugar, and then it hit me. Of course. A lemon brown sugar cake!

I'm still fiddling around with conversions and getting acquainted with the kitchen here. It ended up being delicious, even if the icing was a little runny. It was a tad on the dry side, but that can easily be remedied the next time I make it. Hmmmm, what am I craving now?

Brown Sugar Lemon Cake

Makes one 2 layer 9-inch cake

10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Zest and juice of 4 lemons

1/2 cup milk

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest,  and the milk. Cream the butter and the sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the flour in three additions, alternating with the milk, and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined, but do not over-beat. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Ice with a lemon or vanilla buttercream (5 1/3 tablespoons butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk).

More Lemon Cakes

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemony Crunch Cake

Lemon-Rosewater Frosted Pistachio Cake