lemon-blueberry layer cake [with a side of sugar coma]

The benefit of living in a city that seems to have totally forgotten that winter is a season, is that it allows one to stroll downtown with old friends on a January afternoon with nothing but a jacket and good conversation for warmth. When that group of friends is comprised of wonderful people you've known for over a decade, it almost feels like summertime.

I can't actually believe that I've known these people as long as I have. These 'people', of course, meaning Nitya, Hannah, Noosh, Georgia, Matt, and Tommy. Elementary school friends. Fourth grade. All of us weren't particularly close back then, and I don't think any of us would have imagined that an odd-13 years later we would still be in touch, let alone driving down to visit one another for belated birthday parties, shopping trips, and coffee dates. It's amazing, really, when I think about it.


Much of my childhood was spent moving from place to place. I was born out of the country and my parents moved to the States when I was two. I grew up in the north; random cities in New York from apartments to townhouses while my parents scraped together enough money for a new life in a country very different from their own. It was a learning experience for them, certainly, though all my memories of frigid winters and breezy summers come primarily from photos and stories. There are the occasional genuine memories of course - I recall living next to an elderly couple whose home I would often visit to see their numerous pets and, on lazy days, plates of cookies and glasses of lemonade. I don't remember their names, but I do remember their kindness.

When I was about 7 years old, arm in a hot pink cast from a rather ungraceful fall off of a sofa, we moved to Virginia. Leaving yet another group of friends behind - I changed schools about 4 times while in the north as it was - I started the third grade rather alone. A few months went by, turning 8 years old and meeting new people, before we moved yet again to a different city. It was there that my parents decided to finally settle down for good, and it's there that they live to this day (after having moved to a different house this summer, but remaining in the same general location). I started spring of the third grade, yet again on my own, and found myself best friends with the entire third grade faculty. The following year I was transferred to the gifted program, and it's at that moment my life finally settled down. I finally met the people I would keep in my heart for the next 13 years.

Nitya was, essentially, my first true friend in elementary school. It was sometime at the beginning of fourth grade when we were all in the cafeteria for lunch, my younger sister's class heading back to their room - she was in the first grade at the time - and I caught her eye and gave a reassuring wave.

"Is that your sister?" Nitya asked me from across the table. I hadn't even realized she was paying any mind.

"Yes," or at least some derivative of an affirmative. I don't remember much of the details, but from there we  got to talking about whatever it is that goes through the minds of two fourth grade girls, and before long we had developed a close friendship.

A close friendship which, having expanded to the Fab Four and others who I first met that year as the fourth grader who finally found her place, has survived over a decade. It is remarkable, truly.

Lemon-blueberry Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Sweetapolita.
Yields one 3-layer, 8-inch cake.

For the cake, you'll need:

• 2 cups plus 6 tbsp flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed and patted dry
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 cup [2 sticks] butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs

• lemon curd, for layering

For the lemon cream cheese frosting, you'll need:

• 2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup [1 1/2 sticks] butter, softened
• 2 tbsp lemon
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar

To prepare the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans. In a small bowl, toss blueberries with one tablespoon of flour. In a medium-sized bowl, sift flour remaining flour, baking powder, and salt. In another small bowl, whisk buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Set both bowls aside.

Cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 mins. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Gently fold in blueberries by hand. Divide batter among cake pans and bake for 25-30 mins, or until golden brown and set. Remove cakes from the pans and cool to room temperature.

To prepare the cream cheese frosting:

Cream butter and cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 mins. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and mix. Lower speed and gently add in the sugar, and beat until light. Refrigerate until using.

To assemble the cake:

Place one layer on a serving plate. Frost the top of the layer with a generous amount of lemon curd. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting on top. Place second layer on top of the base and repeat. Place third layer on top and thinly frost the top and sides of the cake with a crumb coat. Refrigerate both the cake and the frosting for about 30 mins. Remove from the fridge and use remaining frosting to frost the top and sides. Garnish with a frosting border or lemon, if desired.

This weekend, 13 years later, my dear friend drove 4 hours up to the apartment - alongside the Blue Ridge Mountains, so she didn't mind too, too much - to spend the weekend with Noosh and I. Hannah drove down from her university as well, and so we had a wonderful weekend of Fab Four bonding, complete with diet Snapple and trashy magazines, visiting the downtown mall with Matt and Georgia and enjoying dessert with Tommy. 

Since Nitya was in Italy for the semester, I was unable to surprise her with a 21st birthday cake as I did for Hannah and Farnoosh. So for her big visit this weekend, she and I worked together on her belated birthday cake. After a lazy afternoon in used bookshops - a rather successful visit if I do say so myself, thanks to a wonderful local book shop owner named Dave - it was a lovely treat to enjoy in the evening. So happy belated birthday, my darling Nitya. I can't believe I've celebrated so many birthdays with you, and hope to celebrate many more in future. Without you, fourth grade would have been an enormous bore. 

Unfortunately, two days was not nearly enough for the four of us, but we made the most of the time we had with good food and more lovely memories to add to our repertoire. 

After all, we have all the time in the world for more.

apple pie cheesecake bars [and holiday nights with old friends]

Cranberry-cinnamon tea. 

I arrived home yesterday evening to an empty house, parents both out and about and Yusra off with friends. I didn't expect anything different, really, and so took my suitcase and backpack upstairs to a room that's been vacant for weeks, freshly cleaned for my arrival. After gracelessly dropping my things haphazardly in the space next to my bedside table, I put my hands on my hips and looked around, letting the breeze wafting in through the half-open window chill my bare arms, still adjusting to the new house. A deep sigh, closing my eyes for just a moment to let everything sink in, breathing out the stresses from a semester of constant work, and then back downstairs for a glass of water and, perhaps, a piece of fruit.

And it was then that I noticed that almost every inch of counter space was covered in gift baskets and fruit bowls, obligatory gifts from drug reps and secretaries at my father's office. [It's Christmas season, after all.]

And then I grinned.


As mundane and predictable as most of them are, full to the brim with boxes of stale pretzels and commercially-cloned milk chocolate truffles, the odd basket or two is full of delightful surprises. A small bottle of olive oil, caramels wrapped in colorful foil [the ones that only seem to make an appearance this time of year and virtually disappear from existence for the remaining eleven months], a wheel of chevre, a tin of cranberry-cinnamon tea.

I horde all of these for myself, naturally, as the rest of my family is content with the chocolate and crackers [which, admittedly, I enjoy quite a lot as well] and have little interest in odd teas and cheeses. It's bizarre, but it's the little things from gift baskets that really solidify this time of year. The end of a semester. A break from academics. A time to spend the day away in pajamas and a sweatshirt, lounged upon the sofa with a book, iPod plugged into Aine Minogue and Dean Martin, perhaps a mug of cranberry-cinnamon tea at hand.

And occasionally, a Christmas party or two.

Matt's parents graciously invited me to their home this evening for a small party, which was in and of itself one of the most delicious events I have ever attended. There is never a shortage of incredible food whenever Matt's family is involved, particularly when smoked brisket, turkey and cranberry, and the most diverse selection of homemade cookies are at one's fingertips.

When I was first told of the party, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to bake something as a thank-you, to which Matt's parents happily accepted. And so, for days I pondered about what would be worthy enough for individuals which such impeccable taste, and eventually decided on these: apple pie cheesecake bars, which I dedicate utterly and unconditionally to Matt's incredible family.

Apple Pie Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Makes 24-32 bars.

For the crust, you'll need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 sticks butter, softened and cut into cubes

For the cheesecake layer, you'll need:

• 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the apple layer, you'll need:

• 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes [Grannysmith, Gala, and Golden Delicious are ideal, or any combination of the three]
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

For the streusel topping, you'll need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 stick butter, softened

For the caramel, you'll need:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

To prepare the bars:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9x13-inch pan with aluminum foil. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and brown sugar. Add in butter and pulse until dough has the consistency of bread crumbs. Pour dough onto bottom of the pan and press evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Do not turn off the oven.

While the crust is baking, prepare the cheesecake layer by beating cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add vanilla. Pour the cheesecake filling onto the baked crust, spreading evenly with a spatula.

Toss the apples, 2 tbsp sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Spoon the apples evenly over top of the cheesecake filling.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and oats and mix until well-blended. Using a pastry cutter or your hand, mix the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the apples. Bake the bars for 40-45 minutes, until cheesecake is set. Let bars cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


To prepare the caramel: 
In a medium saucepan over medium flame, whisk together sugar and water. Allow syrup to come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer until the syrup reaches an amber color, 7-12 minutes. Watch the syrup closely as it will quickly burn after it has started to color. Once syrup reaches the correct color, slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly while doing so. The syrup will sizzle and foam up spectacularly, but will calm down soon after. Remove saucepan from the heat and continue whisking until mixture has reached the consistency of smooth caramel. Let caramel cool 15-20 minutes before using on the bars.


Once dessert has refrigerated for at least 2 hours, slice them into bars and arrange on a serving tray. Right before serving, drizzle a generous amount of caramel on top of the bars.

There's really nothing pie-like about these, save that I made them with apples and it's currently autumn, but the name has a rather nice ring to it. Plus, with his face muffled in my shoulder in an enormous, snuggly hug, Matt mumbled that they tasted like apple pie wrapped in a cheesecake. The contented grin on his face when he pulled away and dove into his second bite was inspiration enough for the title.

Matt's mother was thrilled, Matt's father thought they were delicious, the other guests loved them, and my heart soared. More than anything, I wanted to give back a small bit of the kindness Matt and his family have shown me for over a decade.

Hopefully this was a little victory, but above all, a big thank you.

"Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal"
Julia Child

6 [layers] x 4 [hungry people] - 3 [feet tall] = 21 [years old]

Ah, birthday season.

It has begun.

Naturally, the start of birthday season always coincides splendidly with finals, which is both hideously inconvenient and a wonderful break from studying.

But since it's Noosh's birthday, the break is always, always welcome.

Though, I suppose that after spending the vast majority of our Saturday night writing and editing term papers along with Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother breaks every thirty or so minutes, but it's okay since I started and finished a rather decently executed 8-page political theory essay in a grand total of 6 hours, I think today's lunch and subsequent sugar coma were well-deserved.

Noosh's rents came up today and took us out for a fantastic lunch at Outback, which was quite literally the first time in weeks that she and I had a meal that didn't involve items of questionable edibleness haphazardly thrown together in an attempt to fashion what few would call any semblance of a plate of food, so I was pretty damn pleased. I mean, salmon on rice pilaf with broccoli? It was like a holiday miracle, I kid you not. 

I feel unbelievably rejuvenated now and have this delusion that I possess the strength necessary to stare down my metaphysics term paper with the utmost confidence. By that I mean I may not actually pass out from sheer terror anymore.

Anyway, lunch was great [the whole 'real food' thing], and then we came back to the apartment for merriment and cake.


And so we ate. And ate. And ate some more.

And I'm still reeling from all the sugar. [What else is new.]

Fall Hummingbird Cake
Adapted from Sweetapolita and For the Love of Food.
Makes one three-layer 9-inch cake.

For the cake, you'll need:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 8-oz can crushed pineapple, with juice

For the maple cream cheese frosting, you'll need:

• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature and cut into cubes
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 5 cups powdered sugar

To prepare the hummingbird cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat eggs and oil on medium speed until frothy, about a minute. Add in pumpkin, bananas, and pineapple and mix until well-blended, 3-4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the stand. In a separate bowl, sift flour, sugar, spices, salt, and baking soda. Dump flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until barely incorporated. Stir in pecans and mix until just combined.

Divide batter among the three pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.


To prepare the maple cream cheese frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, maple syrup, and vanilla on medium speed until well-mixed. Reduce speed to low and gradually add in powdered sugar. Beat until the frosting fluffs up a bit, about 3 minutes. Add in the cream cheese all at once, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate frosting until using.


To assemble the cake:
Place one of the three layers on the serving plate. Frost top of the layer with a generous amount of frosting. Repeat with the second and third layers, and use remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake. Refrigerate cake until serving. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.

Alright, so my cake was the approximate size of a small child. And was also 6 layers tall. And it could probably feed a small country. With leftovers remaining.

What I did was bake the cake twice over - used the same three pans for the second round of batter, and I was left with six, rather sizable, layers of hummingbird cake. I let them cool completely, and then got to frosting, the recipe for which I increased by 50% [I'll let you do the math on this one].

Now, a word of caution: if you're going to make a 6-layer cake, you can not assemble the entire thing all at once. I initially did all 6 layers, and the mess was teetering over worse than the tower of Pisa. I almost had a mental breakdown, and then decided to just remove two layers. Instead of throwing them away, I stuck them on a plate and figured I'd just have two cakes [of two awkwardly-different heights]. The cake with four layers was pretty stable, so I went ahead and frosted it completely. Then I decided that, no, I am not going to sit here and allow physics to destroy all of my dreams and happiness, so I stuck the four-layered cake in the freezer for about an hour and a half [stuck the other two in the fridge during this time], then placed the two refrigerated layers on top, refrosted the top two layers, and stuck it back into the freezer to firm up completely.

So, if you, dear reader, hope to make a 6-layered cake, I would do the following:

1. assemble and frost four layers, sides and all 
2. wrap remaining two layers in clingwrap and allow them to mellow out on the counter
3. place frosted cake in freezer for 1.5 hours
4. frost and add final two layers to frozen cake [note that frosting blends seamlessly with what has been done prior]
5. place 6-layer, frosted cake in freezer for another 2 hours
6. transfer frozen cake to the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving, so that it has a chance to thaw and isn't an unpleasant experience to eat

Yes, it is a time-consuming process, as all layer cakes are loathe to be, so make sure to keep in mind the time you'll need to set aside to make it happen.

You could also always just go with the three-layer, but the six-layer is far more enjoyable to slice.

As for decoration, I just purchased some fake flowers from Michaels, trimmed them off of the stalk, and arranged them on top. Chopped up some walnuts for some sort of aesthetic flair - rocks maybe? I'm really not quite sure - and it ended up looking more like a wedding cake than a birthday cake. But the addition of candles toned down the exuberant amounts of class radiating off of the cake, so it was all good.

#sarcasm

Anyway, Noosh and her famfam loved it, so I figured it was a success in the end.

And finally, my darling Farnoosh, most amazing roommate and best friend one could wish for in the most epic bromance that ever was, I hope you had an absolutely wonderful 21st birthday [despite the fact that you are sitting next to me working on an ethics term paper], and I'm warning you now that once you turn it in, we are in for a night of a How I Met Your Mother marathon. Prepare yourself.

As for later this week, I'll be at the apartment until Friday when I'm finally off for break. I have this vague notion that the cousins and I are heading to NYC next week, but I'm fuzzy on some all of the details. But at least I have a few weeks to spend with the family before I'm back here for intercession.

And sometime in between there are about 3 more birthdays needing to be celebrated, so at least there's weight-gain to look forward to.

pumpkin bars with maple cream cheese frosting

Thanksgiving feels like it was ages ago, though it was just last week that I was huddled around our dining table, 14 unnervingly-cheerful family members by my side, reaching for my second [or was it third?] helping of turkey and Butterbeer.

What I wouldn't do to have some leftover turkey here at the apartment so as to stop chewing on my own hand whenever I get hungry. The lack of quality food and utter depression that accompanies it can only mean one thing: we've approached finals season.

Presumably, I spend most of my days holed up in my room or at a coffee shop, frantically reading hundreds of pages of Spanish literature and philosophy that I shirked during the semester, writing the best-quality term paper[s] I can a week before the due date, and waking up every morning praying that I'm back in my fluffy bed at home, having left all final exams and papers behind me.

Okay, admittedly, it's not that tragic. Mostly it's been painful not being able to play PS3 when AC:R sits next to my television remote forlornly, abandoned and neglected, wondering how it got stuck with a good-for-nothing college student who really should have read that 200-page Spanish novel 2 weeks ago when it was assigned rather than spending hours doing so yesterday in order to write a paper due next week.


...not that I'm, you know, bitter or anything.

Pumpkin Bars with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
A bakedbeen original
Makes 18-24 bars

For the pumpkin bars, you'll need:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 15-oz can pumpkin [not pumpkin pie filling]
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• a few shakes of cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup crushed pecans
• 1/4 cup raisins

For the maple cream cheese frosting, you'll need:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

To prepare the pumpkin bars:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, brown sugar, and pumpkin until fluffy, 4-5 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.  Using a wooden spoon, hand-mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Be careful not to over-mix. Once mixed, toss in the pecans and raisins and give the batter another turn. Pour the batter into the prepared pan for 25-30 minutes, until set. Let cool completely before frosting.


To prepare the maple cream cheese frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower mixer speed to low and slowly add in powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Add maple syrup and vanilla. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat for another 3-5 minutes, until fluffy. Refrigerate until frosting reaches spreading consistency, about 30 minutes. 

Once bars are cool, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over top. Garnish with whole or crushed pecans, if desired. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes before slicing.

Luckily, after a week of unprecedented amounts of catch-up and studying, Noosh and I got to spend the afternoon and evening out, shopping in pleasantly nippy, chilly weather and meeting up with good friends for an extraordinarily entertaining little dinner party.

For the occasion, I decided to bake. I felt as though I hadn't baked in years, although I made about 4 desserts for our Thanksgiving dinner last week. I'll blame it on finals-prep having drained the life and joy out of me.

But I digress: baking. Pumpkin bars with maple cream cheese frosting, to be precise. For some reason I have this delusion that baking with pumpkin after Christmas is just blasphemous, since pumpkin is the epitome of fall deliciousness and happiness, and the only thing I want to do when winter rolls around is stuff a pillow over my head and hibernate for 3 months. So I figured: I only have two more weeks at the apartment, I have a can of pumpkin in my pantry, and it would be going against nature for me to use it after I'm back for intercession; might as well put it to delicious use.

I always view pumpkin in the same light I do carrots, when it comes to baking. They both have a sort of mild, dense, earthy quality about them which pairs wonderfully with spices, nuts, and dried fruits. Pumpkin bars I've had in the past are typically made with just pumpkin and spices, and have a really pleasant cake-y quality to them. But I like my pumpkin bars heartier, so always add ground nuts [what's more fitting than pecans?] and raisins to give them some body and a sort of rustic, cold-weather touch. Maple added to the frosting to tie it all together, and you're left with a beautiful fall dessert.

Simple, but comforting. As is spending an evening after a stressful week with good friends and good food.

And with a happy belly and residual smile from a wonderful night, the next two weeks don't seem quite so daunting.

reeses cake

I don't really enjoy most candy. But I've always, always loved Reese's Cups. I don't know what it is, aside from the possibility that whichever genius invented it realized that chocolate and peanut butter is the most piquant combination of flavors on the planet.

Yesterday, my good friend Nathaniel celebrated his twentieth birthday. Nathaniel and I have been friends since back in high school, and I remember that on his eighteenth birthday during our senior year, I baked him a cake that he loved: chocolate cake with a peanut butter frosting, garnished with chopped up Reese's Cups.


[Then again, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't love a cake covered in Reese's Cups, since they are basically the best food group on the planet.

Made evident by my assertion and strong belief that they alone could qualify as a distinct food group].

Last year I kept up with the chocolate/peanut butter theme by baking him peanut swirled brownies [which turned out more like fudge by the accidental dismissal of baking soda from the batter, but one could argue that they turned out even better that way...?], but this year I thought I'd try and recreate that amazing cake from senior year.

Perhaps he'll think that I did. And even if not exactly the same, this cake is, equally, to die for.

I'll give the peanut butter frosting recipe I used [the frosting is the star, here]; the cake itself can be made from your favorite basic chocolate cake recipe.

Note: as much as I am a huge proponent of all-natural, organic peanut butter without any added preservatives or sugars, I always use the processed stuff when baking. This is because the oils separate from the peanut butter when using an organic kind, and therefore it won't bake as well. So, go get the cheap stuff!

Creamy, Dreamy, Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from a combination of countless peanut butter frostings.

You'll need:

• 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups of creamy peanut butter [not all-natural or organic]
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup whipping cream [to desired consistency]

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and peanut butter on medium speed until fully blended. Add in vanilla and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add in confectioner's sugar. Beat until incorporated. Slowly pour in whipping cream until reaching desired consistency.

Peanut butter frosting will keep well, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

To assemble the cake, I baked a chocolate cake in an 8-inch springform pan, trimmed off the top, cut the cake in half width-wise, spread a generous amount of peanut butter frosting on top of the bottom layer, covered it with chopped up mini Reese's Cups, topped it with the second layer, frosted the top and sides, and covered the top with more mini Reese's Cups. It's basically the easiest cake on the planet.

I love both the color and the consistency of this frosting. It's a gorgeous, light caramel color, and the consistency gives the cake a homely feel. Kind of like how your grandmother's Reese's cake would look.

You know, if she were hip and made candy-based cakes.

Happy birthday, Nathaniel! I hope this cake lived up to your expectations :)

{DBC} maple mousse-filled almond cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

I am not the biggest fan of splatter films. Mainly because of the unnecessary amount of disturbing gore.

Do I care how many ways the directors of Resident Evil can hack and slash away at their poor, defenseless protagonists?

Do I really want to sit down and agree to watch a marathon of Scream films on my own volition?

Does it interest me how many of my irrational fears Saw is able to play on and give me nightmares for days?

Not in the least.

Ironic, given how much Assassin's Creed I've played this semester, but that's besides the point.

So you can imagine my unwillingness to watch Zombieland back when it had just been released. You can also imagine how persuasive my cousins and sister can be.


Truth be told, despite the gore, it was a sweet movie. Bizarrely profound, too, for a zombie flick.

Rule #32: Enjoy the little things.

Now, I'm not really one for proverbs, particularly cheesy ones that appear in pop culture as a sad excuse for contemporary philosophy. But I'm also a cheesy person, at heart, and some of them strike in me a chord that resonates more than it probably should.

But I loved that line.

Loved it for its simplicity, its accuracy, its innocent optimism.

Loved it for the juxtaposition of a group of nondescript individuals trying to survive in a world falling apart around them, with sheer determination and will to survive solely in order to finally enjoy a Twinkie.



...I could do without the Twinkie, but the sentiment remains the same.

It has been a long month, to be honest. I've been ready for it to be over since week one. It just felt like swimming in an endless sea of work, papers, studying, stress, with no lifeboat in sight to guide me back to shore. But upon reflection, it wasn't bad at all. Heard some phenomenal news from a friend, visited a few other dear friends who I hadn't seen in months, strolled through grounds on quiet, breezy evenings, got a few new clients for henna, played an obscene amount of video games that would probably shame a college male, and baked.

Baked cupcakes, again, if you can believe. The April Daring Baker's Challenge was a maple mousse serve in an edible container. At first I thought, chocolate cups, of course. But chocolate and maple? Sugar overkill. So that idea was shot.

For a minute I was stressed out. Heart pounding, mind racing, eyes darting across cookbook pages to try to determine what on earth I could do instead. Bacon cups were definitely an option, and were actually recommended in the challenge recipe. But...expensive, since I would have purchased turkey bacon, and would have needed quite a lot of it.

And then it hit me: almond. I love almond and maple together. But I didn't want to make a nut crust out of almonds and almond flour, because I speculated that it wouldn't have held up well. So instead, I [with tons and tons of help from Tommy and Noosh, as always!] went with an almond cupcake, hollowed out some of the inside cake, piped it with maple mousse, topped with a neutral cream cheese frosting, and warm, crispy turkey bacon.

[Yes, I was skeptical at first too, with the bacon, but really? It's delicious. Just...delicious.]

Maple Mousse
Adapted from the April Daring Baker's Challenge

You'll need:

• 8 oz pure maple syrup
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 package [1 tbsp] unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a medium saucepan over medium-high flame, bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks. Pour in some of the hot maple syrup into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. Pour the egg yolks back into the saucepan and whisk thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, pour 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let sit for 5 minutes, then heat for 45 seconds in the microwave (in increments of 10-15 seconds) until gelatin dissolves completely. Whisk the gelatin mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.

Whisk maple syrup mixture occasionally for an hour, or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.

Whip the remaining heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup to lighten the syrup. Fold in the remaining cream. Refrigerate for at least an hour to set.

Remove from fridge and divide mousse equally among serving dishes. Keep chilled until serving.

Almond Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Sugarplum Musings and Cathy's Kitchen Journey
Makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup [1 1/2 sticks] butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsps almond extract
• 1 cup milk
• 5 egg whites, at room temperature

For the cream cheese frosting, you'll need:

• 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cupcake pan with papers.

In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add in sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in extracts. In a separate bowl, combine flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined. Set aside.

In a clean, dry, stainless steal bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff peak forms. Mix 1/3 of the egg whites into the cupcake batter, to lighten the batter. Gently fold in remaining egg whites.

Divide batter equally among cupcake papers, filling each paper about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before removing.


To prepare the cream cheese frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add in confectioner's sugar. Mix until smooth, and refrigerate until using.


To assemble cupcakes, remove a small cone from the center of each cooled cupcake. Put the mousse inside of a piping bag or ziplock bag with a hole cut out of the corner. Pipe mousse into the cut-out centers of each cupcake, filling them generously. Frost with the cream cheese frosting. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving.

Yes, some months are longer than others, and yes, sometimes the stress feels like it'll never end, but if you only remember to enjoy the little things, it's never as bad as you think.

...I think finals are in a week.

creme brulee cupcakes

I love chess.

The tactics, the suspense, the passion for sacrifice, the need to always be two steps ahead of your opponent.

But most of all, I love how humbling of a game it is.

Weird, right? But it's true.

You see your opponent's bishop close in on your cornered king, and your stomach drops as you realize that it's all over. But instead of fighting it, you tip your king over in a show of grace and humility, accepting defeat as an homage to your opponent's skill.

And then you shake hands, part ways, and promise yourself you won't lose the next one.

I love chess because humble defeat is what happens to me every time I make a resolution. Humble defeat in the form of eating a cupcake.

No sugar for 80 days? Well, one [read: two] days won't kill me.

And it was delicious so, in my eyes, totally justified.

Wait a hot sec, did she just say a cupcake was delicious?

Yes, in fact. It was delicious. This isn't to say I love cupcakes now or anything, but I suppose some can be tasty.

These were made for my good friend, Daniel, who turns 20 tomorrow. His favorite dessert is creme brulee, and since I couldn't very well transport 6 ramekins via car for 20 miles, I settled on a cupcake variation. Caramel cupcake, topped with a cream cheese frosting, and decorated with sugar shards. Deliciously moist and perfectly sweet.

Creme Brulee Cupcakes
Adapted from Creative Loafing
Makes 12 cupcakes


For the caramel cupcakes, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 stick of butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk

For the cream cheese frosting, you'll need:

• 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 stick of butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the sugar shards, you'll need:

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cupcake pan with papers.

To prepare cupcakes, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture in batches, alternating with buttermilk. Mix until just incorporated.

Divide batter evenly among paper cups, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

To prepare the cream cheese frosting, cream cream cheese, butter, and shortening on medium speed until fluffy. Lower speed and slowly add in confectioner's sugar. Add vanilla and increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate frosting until using.

To prepare sugar shards, line a 12-inch tray with aluminum foil and grease lightly with butter. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat sugar and water. Stir until sugar dissolves, then remove spoon. Continue mixing by swirling the pan (do not stir), allowing sugar water to come to a boil. Once the sugar turns a pale yellow color, watch diligently; it will begin to dark relatively quickly. Continue swirling until sugar turns a golden brown color. Immediately pour sugar onto greased pan, swirling the pan so the sugar spreads out evenly. Allow sugar to harden completely before using, at least 2 hours. Once set, break sugar apart and form shards of different shapes and sizes.

To assemble cupcakes, frost the tops of each cupcakes with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting. Take a few different-sized shards and stick them on top of the cupcakes, making sure to pierce the cakes to maintain stability. If not serving immediately, store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Cupcakes will last up to 3 days in the fridge.

I'm home for the weekend, and spent a good portion of the day visiting friends in the city [after a wonderful brunch with Nitya]. Picked up Daniel and Cory and drove them over to Ellewood Cafe to meet up with Matt and Chelsea. It was nice, sitting in Ellewood Cafe, catching up with old friends, cappuccino in hand and cupcakes on the table. Like a scene from a movie. Complete with snark and insults flying from all mouths.

Just the way I love it.

As for my defeat this weekend?

Well, I don't plan on losing the next one.

ricotta cheesecake with strawberry coulis

The sudden influx of ricotta and/or cheesecake-based dessert is pure coincidence. I just happen to have had some ricotta sitting in the fridge that I needed to use up. And I'm utterly obsessed with cream cheese. It was a dessert waiting to happen, really.

Plus, I've been kickin it in Cville on my own over break, so amidst work and studying I've had some down time to do frivolous things like this.

Ricotta Cheesecake
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

For the cheesecake filling, you'll need:

• 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides.

Beat cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream, and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk heavy cream, vanilla, eggs and egg yolks until blended. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Beat until just blended. Pour filling into the prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 275 degrees, and continue baking for 1 1/2 hours, or until top is golden brown and cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan. The center will still be slightly jiggly. Turn off the oven when done, and leave cake in the oven with the door ajar to cool for 3 hours. Remove cake from the oven and refrigerate for at least 4 hours [preferably overnight], before removing from the pan and cutting. Serve chilled.

You can use any sort of crust you'd like for this cheesecake. A classic graham cracker crust always works well, but a shortbread crust would also be delicious. I made a low-carb version of this particular cheesecake, so I used the crust from my LC mocha cheesecake, and a combination of baking Splenda and erythritol [3/4 cup of each] in place of the granulated sugar. Also, instead of one 8-inch cheesecake, I made two 4-inch cheesecakes and one 6-inch cheesecake, and adjusted the bake times accordingly [30-25 mins at 375 degrees Fahrenheit]. What can I say, I just like mini desserts. [Except cupcakes]

The low-carb version turned out beautifully, without the slightest inkling that it's actually low-carb, but I'm sure the full-carb version is just divine. In fact, this may be the best LC cheesecake I've ever had. Is this the magical cheesecake recipe I've been searching for? If it's not, it's getting pretty damn close.

I also topped mine off with a really easy, homemade strawberry coulis, because no real cheesecake is complete without a berry sauce.

Strawberry Coulis
Adapted from smitten kitchen

You'll need:

• 1 cup strawberries, quartered and hulled
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Puree all the above ingredients in a blender. Run coulis through a strainer to get rid of seeds. Store in fridge for up to 1 week, in freezer for up to 3 months.

Recipe makes about 3/4 cup of coulis.

In other news, I am officially giving up sugar [again]. Honey, agave, sugar added to coffee, BBQ sauce and sugary Asian sauces, baked goods. Yep, baked goods. I'm not cutting out the artificial sweetener, but it'll definitely be a once-in-a-while sort of thing. Mainly to satisfy any unbearable cravings and experiment with more low-carb baking.

How long? Only very strictly until Spain. Which is only, what, 80 days? 2 and a half months? Definitely doable. I hope. And I'll still be baking full-carb, of course, so no worries there. I'll just have to will myself not to lick the spoon.

...merda.

dulce de leche cheesecake bars [take two]

Midterms, baking. Baking, midterms. It's a tough life when you have to somehow alwayschoosebakingoverstudying decide between one or the other. On Wednesday evening I broke up the monotony of studying Spanish lit by baking.

This is my second attempt at dulce de leche cheesecake bars. Not the first wasn't good, but I didn't realize until I looked over the recipe that it calls for gelatin. And I'm just so damn tired of gelatin. So I figured I'd make up a new recipe. This one has a graham cracker crust [because, what can I say, I'm obsessed], a cheesecake filling infused with dulce de leche, and a salted dulce de leche swirl topping. Believe it or not, it's not too sweet. It's actually almost not sweet enough, based on what you would expect. In the best way possible.

Why dulce de leche? Well, I officially got into the Valencia study abroad program on Sunday, las fallas are happening this month, I went to a Spanish poetry reading on Monday night, watched Biutiful on Tuesday night, and had two Spanish midterms this week. I've been in a rather culturally Hispanic mood.

Mostly, though, it's because these were baked for two individuals:

1. Rudhdi as a congratulations for making SR: I'm so proud of you, Roods, and never doubted you for one second. You truly deserve it, dear; you'll be a phenomenal SR next year :)
2. My darling Hannah, because I've promised to send you baked goods for months now and miss you terribly. I will be shipping these off as soon as I'm back in Cville next week, so you should have them delivered within the next 7 days or so. Love you and hope everything's going well!

artificial lighting is the bane of my existence. can't wait for sunny days.

Dulce de leche, for all you folk who have heard the name and know it's delicious but don't have any clue as to what the heck it is, is more or less sweetened condensed milk that has been heated until it caramelizes. Yes. Liquid caramel. Addicting too, might I add.

[ALSO, can I just say that if I walk into one more grocery store, ask someone where I can find dulce de leche, and have them give me a look of utter blankness and ask me to repeat myself, I'm going to snap. It can be found in the Hispanic/International food aisle, just by the way.

Though, I suppose you could bypass the irritation of having grocery store clerks completely misunderstand you and direct you to the evaporated milk section by heating up your own dulce de leche from scratch. But I'm not patient skilled enough for that.]

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from my brain. And components of old recipes.


For the crust, you'll need:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs [about 12 full wafers, crushed]
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 8 tbsp butter, melted

For the cream cheese filling, you'll need:

• 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese
• 5 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 generous tbsp of dulce de leche
• 1 tbsp vanilla 
• 2 eggs

For the salted dulce de leche swirl, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup dulce de leche
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp reserved cream cheese filling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line and grease a 13x9-inch pan with aluminum foil.

To prepare crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Pour in melted butter and mix well. Pour crumbs into the prepared pan and press evenly across the base. Bake for 10 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Allow crust to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare cream cheese filling. Beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add in sugar, dulce de leche, and vanilla. Mix until blended. Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Reserve two tbsp of the filling, and pour the remainder on top of cooled crust and spread evenly with a spatula.

To prepare dulce de leche swirl, mix dulce de leche and salt. Add in reserved cream cheese filling and mix well until filling is smooth. Drop dollops of filling evenly on top of cream cheese filling, leaving generous amounts of space in between. Using a knife, cut swirls through the dollops, being careful not to draw up any of the crust. Bake for about 30 minutes, until bars are soft and springy to the touch. Let cool completely on a cooling rack, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours [preferably overnight] before cutting.

Bars, covered, will keep well in the fridge for up to a week, in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze bars, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, then once more with aluminum foil. To defrost, move bars to the refrigerator and let dethaw overnight.

My swirls never turn out as well as I wish they would. It's something I need to work on. Also should have thought of some way to dilute the caramel further. I thought about microwaving, but that seemed counter-intuitive. 

Anyway, I am finally done with midterms, for the week. Now I get a supposed week off, which translates into me going home for the weekend before coming back to Cville to study for upcoming midterms, outline upcoming papers, and work for 20 hours.

I can't deny that the thought of me being unable to actually sleep in is depressing. In fact, it cuts me a little inside. But I need the money. Baking doesn't come cheap, ya know.

...sometimes I don't think it's worth it.

And then I bake something like this and that thought melts away.

Edit:

Also, I'd love to thank Tastespotting for featuring me! I've always loved the site, and find many of my best recipes from bloggers who have contributed, so I'm very honored to be a part of it! So for all of you have stumbled upon my blog via Tastespotting, welcome! It's lovely to have you, and I hope you'll be back for more! :)

chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars

I've had the most epic headache all weekend. Woke up in excruciating pain yesterday, took as many meds as I could find through blurry vision, threw a cold, wet rag over my forehead and eyes, and went back to sleep for as long as possible. Pain lessened, I was able to function relatively normally for the remainder of the day and night, then woke up this morning with a dull ache, yet again. Though, not half as bad as yesterday's.

You know what I think it is? Spring fever. Forrull. Which is odd, as I've never really had spring fever before. I even looked it up: "weariness (despite an adequate amount of sleep), sensitivity to changes in the weather, dizziness, irritability, headaches, and sometimes aching joints and a lack of drive are the most common" [thank you wikipedia].

It makes total sense, seeing as how I have never felt less motivated to do something productive in my LIFE. I just want to sleep off this headache for about a week straight. I think that'll be good for me. A mental health week. Full of napping and baking.

Amidst my lack of motivation this weekend, I found some time [i.e. threw astronomy aside] to bake. Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars, to be precise. These are for Jeremy, who turns 20 on Tuesday. He and Zack are often on the receiving end of leftover desserts that Noosh and I can't bear to keep in the apartment [lucky them], but for the most part they've been peanut-butter-and-chocolate based. So this time I decided to shake things up a bit.

This recipe has a few components, but isn't difficult at all.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from browneyedbaker

For the crust, you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs [about 8 whole graham crackers]
• 5 tbsp butter, melted

For the cookie dough layer, you'll need:

• 5 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the cheesecake layer, you'll need:

• 10 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg 
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp flour

For the ganache, you'll need:

• 10 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 5 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line and grease an 8x8-inch square pan. To prepare crust, combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Mix thoroughly and pour onto the base of the pan. Spread crumbs evenly, pressing them into the base, and bake for 6 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.

To prepare cookie dough layer, combine cooled, melted butter and sugar and mix until well blended. Add in flour and mix. Add in vanilla and chocolate chips. Pour cookie dough on top of the cooled graham cracker crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate while making the cheesecake filling.

To prepare cheesecake filling, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add in vanilla and egg, and beat until well blended. Toss the chocolate chips in about a tsp of flour, and then stir into the cream cheese mixture. Pour filling on top of the cookie dough base. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45-55 minutes, until the filling has set. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare ganache, combine chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and melt [about 1 minute in the microwave]. Let cool at least 4-5 minutes. Pour ganache over cooled cream cheese, and spread evenly. Refrigerate bars for at least 2 hours before cutting. Store bars in the refrigerator.

Man these are delicious. Yes, I did eat one. And maybe a little more than one. But it was worth every carbohydrate.

Helps that I got rid of them this evening too.

But that's besides the point.

Ready for this week to be over already.

And it hasn't even started?

Ugh, motivation, don't leave me just yet...

Happy birthday, Jerm :)