cake

Cake is a scrumptious, flexible, and sweet delicacy which is often associated with celebrations of all kinds. In addition to baking and eating it, I really enjoy learning about its historical context, as there is such a rich cultural history of cake-making throughout the world. Furthermore, cake baking is a space where you can really experiment with different flours, mix-ins, flavorings, spices, and even leavening agents. Cake can be light and fluffy or dense and powerful, both being equally delicious. I love using different molds to shape batter or cutting up a sheet and sandwiching two slices together with a frosting or jam, and don’t forget the sprinkles! It’s a really wonderful creative outlet and the possibilities are endless whether you choose a traditional recipe or riff along the way. As long as the basic ingredients are present, it is really difficult to mess it up!

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This sourdough strawberry coconut lime cake is very much a “celebration of spring-and-dreaming-of-strawberry-season” confection. The sourdough starter adds extra moisture and flavor to complement the tang of the strawberries and lime. Coconut flour and shredded coconut add texture to the almost custard-like consistency. The recipe can be easily doubled for an even larger helping. Sourdough strawberry coconut lime cake combines many of my favorite ingredients into one delicious, well-spiced, not-too-sweet, delight. 

ingredients

  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ cup shredded coconut
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ cup sourdough starter discard
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest
  • ¼ cup half & half or milk
  • 1 ½ cups strawberries, sliced
  • Powdered sugar

steps

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the coconut flour, shredded coconut, all-purpose flour, salt, and ginger, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the starter, sugar, and eggs until combined. Add in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and lime zest, and continue to mix. Slowly add in the half & half and mix until it is fully incorporated then slowly add in the flour mixture until evenly combined. Carefully fold in the strawberries making sure not to crush them.

Pour into a springform pan lightly greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 45 minutes until a knife or toothpick emerges clean when poking the center. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm, cold, or at room temperature!

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I have mentioned before that classic madeleines are one of my absolute favorite treats to bake (and eat!). Additionally, carrot cake is a childhood favorite. It is, in my opinion, a total special occasion dessert. Recently, while making carrot cake for my boyfriend’s aunt’s birthday, I shredded too many carrots, so I decided to try making some carrot cake madeleines!

This recipe for carrot cake madeleines is slightly different than that of a classic carrot cake (less leaven) but just as delicious. Carrot cake madeleines are evenly spiced in every bite with succulent texture from the walnuts and golden raisins. The best part of carrot cake madeleines is you can enjoy the delights of carrot cake without having to make a giant cake. 

ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • ¼ cup walnuts, finely chopped 
  • ½ cup golden raisins
  • ½ cup neutral oil
  • Powdered sugar

steps

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves and set aside. Vigorously whisk the eggs and granulated sugar. Mix in the flour and spice mixture until evenly combined. Add in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins. Slowly drizzle in the oil while constantly mixing the batter until all of the oil has been incorporated.

Fill a greased madeleine mold with 1-2 tablespoons of batter. Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden. Let cool slightly then dust with powdered sugar. 

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Bananas and rum are, in my opinion, a great culinary love match. Have you ever noticed that when bananas get super old and overly ripe they exude an alcohol-like aroma? That is the sugar alcohols releasing from the fruit which, the more ripe it is, lend it even more sweetness. This banana cake with rum tahini caramel has only 2 tablespoons of added sugar in the cake itself since a) the bananas themselves are so sweet, and b) it is doused in caramel sauce. 

I like to plate the cake then pour the caramel over the top and essentially baste it, but you can also pour the caramel over individual servings. The longer the cake absorbs the caramel, the more rich and flavorful it will be. You could eat this banana cake with rum tahini caramel for breakfast or pair it with some whipped cream or ice cream for a decadent dessert. 

ingredients

for the cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 medium-large bananas
  • ½ cup neutral oil 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the rum tahini caramel

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons rum

for the garnish

cake steps

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line a square baking pan with parchment paper.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Cream together the bananas, oil, sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla until smoothly combined. Slowly add in the flour mixture until a smooth batter has formed.

Bake for 45 minutes until golden.

rum tahini caramel steps

Once the cake is finished baking, heat the sugar on medium until it begins to melt, swirling it around without mixing, about 7-9 minutes. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, very slowly mix in the water, then the tahini, then the rum. Cook until it begins to bubble then turn off the heat. 

assembly steps

Let the cake cool slightly and using a toothpick or skewer, make small indents in the top of the cake. Pour the caramel over the cake, either in the pan or on a plate, and allow the caramel to trickle in. Top with sesame seeds and continue spooning any caramel that dripped off the sides onto the top of the cake (essentially basting it). 

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As we are now in the final month of winter, I once again find myself digging into my stash of provisions from the warmer months. This means finishing up the last of my wild raspberry supply. Here, the raspberries find their way into a raspberry lime and coriander loaf cake. 

Coriander is the seed of a cilantro plant. It is earthy, aromatic, and floral with a hint of citrus. It is even said to have medicinal properties. You might wonder, coriander in a cake? But give it a try. The coriander pairs so well with the tang of lime and the tart sweetness of raspberries. Top it all off with a dusting of powdered sugar, and this raspberry lime and coriander loaf cake has a distinct and unique flavor profile.

Try a slice of raspberry lime and coriander loaf cake for breakfast with coffee or as a snack with afternoon tea. I even recommend turning it into french toast, but that’s a whole other story. 

ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ cup coriander seeds, toasted and ground
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup sour cream or yogurt (I like to do a mix of both, but if you don’t have both, either one works!)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 ½ cups frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

steps

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground coriander in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Cream together the coconut oil, sugar, and sour cream/yogurt until fluffy. Add the lime zest and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs, one at a time, until evenly incorporated. Add the lime juice and mix. Slowly add in the flour, coriander mixture until all the ingredients are combined.

Add the raspberries and their juice and mix to combine. I use a stand mixer to do this on the lowest speed and some of the frozen raspberries release their juices and turn the batter pink.

Bake for 45 minutes until the sides of the loaf cake pull away from the pan. Let cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar, slice, and serve warm or cold!

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I first made Madeleines with my friend Louise. Her mom is French, and she is deeply influenced by her French heritage. It was Louise who taught me to use orange zest in lieu of the traditional lemon zest, which she learned from her dad. 

These are two takes on the classic the madeleine. I love the combination of spices like cinnamon and cloves with orange – it reminds me of decorating oranges with whole cloves as a holiday art project as a child. I hope they invoke the cozy seasonal joy for you that they do for me! And chocolate is… chocolate. And both are dusted with powdered sugar.

The one piece of equipment you need is a madeleine pan, but I believe it is worth the investment. This is the mold I use, as I prefer silicon. I find it easy to remove the madeleines from the pan and clean it.

spiced madeleines

ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 5 dashes orange bitters (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 10 tablespoons butter
  • Powdered sugar

steps

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease madeleine pans with a neutral oil.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan and let cool.
  • In a bowl, beat together eggs, brown sugar, almond extract, and orange zest until light and fluffy.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, ground cloves, and cinnamon. Slowly add this mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Slowly pour melted butter into the bowl until the mixture emulsifies.
  • Fill each mold with batter and bake for 12-14 minutes until the cakes have puffed up and are beginning to brown.
  • Remove from oven and let cool then remove each individual cake and dust with powdered sugar.

chocolate madeleines

ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 10 tablespoons butter
  • Powdered sugar

steps

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease madeleine pans with a neutral oil.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan and let cool.
  • In a bowl, beat together eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, almond extract, and orange zest until light and fluffy.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Slowly add this mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Slowly pour melted butter into the bowl until the mixture emulsifies.
  • Fill each mold with batter and bake for 12-14 minutes until the cakes have puffed up.
  • Remove from oven and let cool then remove each individual cake and dust with powdered sugar.

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Coffee cake is something my sister and I have loved all our lives. Growing up, we were drawn to all different kinds, but so long as the cake had crumbs or layers of spiced streusel, we were sold.

Nowadays, I seek out delicious coffee cakes with nuts, spices and layers of that distinct sweetness wherever I go. It was while perusing “Mrs. Fryer’s Cook Book and Practical Home Economics,” first published in 1913, when I stumbled on Moravian Cake. Upon further research, I discovered that Moravian sugar cake is a yeasted coffee cake, upgraded by the unlikely addition of mashed potatoes. 

Before you scroll away, thinking potatoes do not belong in cake, please give me the opportunity to explain. Mrs. Fryer’s recipe is more of a basic yeasted dough which adds sugar and cinnamon and omits the potato. Below, I have devised a more traditional version of Moravian sugar cake which uses mashed potatoes. The potatoes are evenly incorporated into the dough and create a spongy texture that is lush and chewy, enhanced by brown sugar and cinnamon in every bite.

Moravian sugar cake is a gift from the Moravians, a Slavic group who traveled to America in the 1700s and settled largely in Pennsylvania and North Carolina (hence, Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA). It is typically served at Easter, but why wait until then to enjoy it?   

ingredients

  • 2 medium russet potatoes
  • 7 tablespoons butter, divided
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as sunflower or grapeseed
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

steps

Peel and cut the potatoes into ½ inch pieces. Boil in well salted water for 22 minutes. 

While the potatoes boil, melt 6 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and let cool. Pour ½ cup of water into a measuring cup and add 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast to activate it. Mix and let sit until bubbly. 

Drain the potatoes and place in a bowl then mash with 1 tablespoon butter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Add the egg, sugar, yeast mixture, and salt. Mix in flour ½ cup at a time. Knead in the bowl for about 5 minutes. (I used a stand mixer with dough hook attachment for this)

Coat a large clean bowl with neutral oil and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours until it has doubled in size.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the dough into a rectangular pan or baking dish greased and lined with parchment paper. Press and pinch into the dough with your fingers to create the indentation pattern on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture and let sit for 10 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden on the edges.