(NAKED) CARROT CAKE

I knew that studying for my licensing exams would be difficult, but the past 3 months were way more intense then I could have ever imagined. I've always been the kind of person who felt she could do it all -- including balancing a full time job, full time studying and my sanity. These past few weeks were a shocking reminder that this isn't always the case. That sometimes, leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight or eating the same thing 5 nights in a row, is not only okay, but is totally acceptable.

Last Monday and Tuesday came and went, and when I woke up the next morning and realized I didn't have to be hidden away studying anymore, I felt like I could finally breathe again. I could once again think about lazy weekend mornings, setting up our new apartment, spending time with friends and family, and finally, finally, baking the carrot cake that I had been craving for weeks.

I get that its totally not carrot cake 'season' right now, but a craving is a craving, and after feeling pretty good about accomplishing a mega milestone in my life/career, I had no choice but to succumb to the craving, no questions asked.

AZOREAN ALMOND POLENTA PINEAPPLE CAKE

We spent an unforgettable week in the Azores last October, and ate our way through the island. One dish that truly stood out was the pineapple cake from A Tasca, a great little restaurant in the heart of Sao Miguel.

When I returned home from the trip, I researched, baked, and baked some more, until I landed on the perfect recipe. One that was loaded with fresh pineapple, yielded a gorgeous texture and was totally messy, just like at the restaurant.

Head over to Salt & Wind for the recipe.

PASSOVER CARROT CAKE

When we started dating, I assured Nigel that Jewish holidays and Catholic holidays didn't overlap. I'm not really sure what I was basing that on, but boy was I wrong. Without fail, for the past 3 years, Easter and Passover have fallen on the same weekend.

As such, while I'm stuck eating matza this, and matza that this time of year, I find myself tantalized by all the delicious Easter eats that pop up online. Not this year! This year, passover got its very own carrot cake - and though the texture is more sponge cake and less 'typical carrot cake', the flavours are all there, and the satisfaction bang on.

A CONCORD GRAPE TART WITH ROSEMARY + GINGER

As much as I love fall, I truly hate (yes, hate), how the days get shorter and shorter as winter approaches -- darkness when I wake up, darkness when I leave work. Ugh.

My 35 minute walk to work is my one chance to enjoy the sun, and scope out the fresh produce in the market along the way. I first spotted these grapes about a month ago and was totally tantalized by them. I had high hopes of working them into a variety of dishes -- I tried oven roasting them for a salad, but the result was far too sweet for my salad preferences; I thought about pan frying, but knew the grape wouldn't hold up well to the heat; I was inspired by some gorgeous local focaccia, but didn't have the hours to dedicate to rising dough (next time). So I settled on a simple tart -- a fairly basic crust, allowing the grapes to dominate in all their sweetness and glory.

A CONCORD GRAPE TART WITH ROSEMARY + GINGER // 9" springform pan

Ingredients:

1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 tsp ground ginger

5 T butter
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 - 2 cups concord grapes
1 spring rosemary
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

What to do:

In a bowl, combine the almond meal, spelt flour and ginger. Stir to combine.

In a small pot over low heat, melt and gradually brown the butter. Remove from the heat and bring to room temperature. Whisk in the egg yolk, vanilla and maple syrup. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and mix just until combined.

Lightly butter your springform pan. Transfer the batter and spread evenly throughout the pan. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300.

Remove the tart from the freezer, and fill with grapes. Use a pair of scissors to cut and evenly distribute about 1/3 of the rosemary spring throughout. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes. Increase the heat to 325, and bake an additional 5-10, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. If your grapes didn't explode, using the back of a spatula, gently (and carefully) press down on the grapes to force them to burst.

Serve warm. Or as a room temperature snack the next day.

HONEY + ALMOND CAKE WITH GINGER POACHED APPLES

With Rosh Hashanah just around the corner, it seemed only fitting to post something rammed with honey and doused in apples. Jewish New Year is one of my favourite holidays -- round challah, autumn apples dunked in honey, pomegranates (new fruit you haven't eaten all year) and so many more family classics. I'll be heading home to spend the holiday with my family, and I know that there will be tons of food awaiting my arrival, as well as several long over due hugs and cuddles with my sisters and parents. I can't wait -- count down to Wednesday night is on.

If you're looking for some additional apple recipes to adorn your table for the holidays, try a breakfast pancake, baked apples, crisp, soup or lunch time grain salad.

Chag Sameach & Shana Tova!

HONEY + ALMOND CAKE WITH GINGER POACHED APPLES // 9" round pan

This cake is gluten free, perfectly drenched in honey, and works equally well for breakfast or dessert, warm or cold. Loosely inspired by Vibrant Food.

Preheat oven to 325.

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

3 eggs
2/3 cup honey
1/4 oil (vegetable, canola or olive)
knub of fresh ginger, zested/finely grated

sliced almonds, toasted, for serving

ginger poached apples//
4 apples, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
juice from 1 lemon
2 T brown sugar
2 T stem ginger marmalade
3 cups water

What to do:

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, honey, oil and grated ginger.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined.

Transfer the batter into a greased and lightly floured baking pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the top is golden brown, the centre is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

To poach the apples, combine the water, lemon juice, brown sugar and marmalade in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and gently transfer the apple wedges into the pan. Partially covered, simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Remove the fruit from the liquid and set aside. Boil the syrup rapidly for 5 additional minutes.

To serve, transfer a cake slice onto a plate, sprinkle with toasted almonds, a few apples slices and an optional spoonful of syrup.

BANANA COCONUT CAKE WITH ROASTED STRAWBERRIES

This is one of those dishes that wasn't intended to be anything, perhaps even a happy accident. We had brown bananas, so I made a banana coconut cake. We had strawberries that were just a tad too ripe, so I decided to roast them. Later that day, we were craving something sweet after dinner. I decided to combine the cake and strawberries and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The flavours were all too familiar upon taking the first bite...TRIFLE! I grew up eating my parent's trifle on special occasions, and this 'by chance' dessert tasted just like it. If you like trifle, but don't enjoy the lengthy process of making it, I strongly encourage you to try this recipe; if you've never had trifle, this is a perfect place to start.

BANANA COCONUT CAKE // makes one square cake pan

Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
few pinches nutmeg

2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

What to do:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, stir to combine and eliminate any lumps.

In a separate, microwave safe bowl, melt the coconut oil. Add the banana, egg and vanilla to the melted oil, and carefully whisk/mash it all together. (It might be easier to mash the banana in a separate bowl and then add it to the coconut oil, but I try to dirty as few dishes as possible.)

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir just until combined.

Transfer to the greased baking pan and bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

Optional last step - After 5 minutes of cooling post oven, cover with a dishtowel and let sit for 1 hour to reabsorb some of the moisture.

ROASTED STRAWBERRIES //

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, rinsed, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic
1 tbsp maple syrup

What to do:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Spread onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, until strawberries have shrunk in size and are oozing red liquid.

TO SERVE //

I had kept the cake in the fridge over night, and found that this magical combination actually tasted better with cold, firmer cake. Do as you please - either way it will taste delicious!

What to do:

Place a piece of cake in a bowl. Top with one scoop of vanilla ice cream and a heaping scoop of strawberries and some of the liquid. Enjoy!

A SIMPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH A BOOZY BAILEY'S GLAZE

Growing up in Montreal, there was never any need to pre-plan how you would spending saint-patrick's day; rain or shine, without fail, you would be at the parade. The morning would kick off with a tall guinness, coloured pancakes, shiny green spandex, and some awesome accessories from dollarama. I'd like to think that my palette has matured past green pancakes, but who am I kidding, I'd eat festive themed food every day if I could. We had some friends over for dinner this weekend, and I decided, in honour of St Patty's, to bake up a festive dessert - a simple chocolate cake with boozy bailey's glaze. Happy Saint Patrick's Day folks!

A SIMPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH A BOOZY BAILEY'S GLAZE // makes one loaf pan

This chocolate cake was divine: moist, rich in chocolate flavour and perfectly sized to not leave you eating chocolate cake all week (like that's ever a bad thing?!). If its not st patty's, feel free to switch up the icing if bailey's isn't your thing; chocolate whipped coconut cream, cashew coconut cream, or a honey cream cheese icing - to name a few.

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp finely ground coffee
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze...
2 tbsp + 2 tsp bailey's
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

shredded coconut and chopped dark chocolate, to garnish

What to do:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Be sure to push through any lumps.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugars, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined.

Transfer batter into a greased or parchment lined baking pan and bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before transferring to a wire rack.

To make the glaze, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk. If its too solid, add more bailey's; too liquidy, add more icing sugar.

Once the cake is 100% cool, pour the glaze on top and drizzle with coconut and chocolate.

WINTER SPICE CAKE

Winter weekends have become my time to dive into the kitchen and whip up a whole bunch of goodness. Nigel will never shy away from a freshly baked cake, allowing me to try new recipes as often as I like (winning!). The winter spices are some of my favourite - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves - and this cake is a perfect fusion of those, and then some. The orange zest and tart cranberries add a perfectly balanced zing to the recipe, and the almond flour gives the cake a light and airy texture. The cake was delicious with a cup of coffee as an afternoon treat, and I think it would go equally well at the end of a nice meal. Either way, you can't go wrong with fresh baked goods in the house.

WINTER SPICE CAKE // one 9" round pan

Adapted from The Year in Food

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

2 cups almond meal/flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
2tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
zest of 2 oranges
juice of 1 orange (~3 tbsp)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/3 cup sliced almonds
fine dusting of powdered sugar*

*Note: I didn't have powdered sugar on hand, but it can easily be made at home. Simply combine 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tsp of corn starch in a magic bullet and pulse until combined.

What to do:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, spices, baking powder and soda.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Add the eggs to the melted butter and whisk well. Continue to add the orange juice and zest.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix to combine. Add the cranberries and mix one last time.

Pour the batter into a well greased 9"round baking pan, and sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake for roughly 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Note that the cake might be more moist then usual, do not confuse that with being raw. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before sprinkling with powdered sugar.

PUMPKIN CAKE

I'm not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie, but I do really enjoy pumpkin flavoured things. When I came across this recipe for pumpkin cake, I was intrigued and couldn't wait to try it. My good friend Jodi, of the Happy Hearted Kitchen, had posted a recipe for cashew cream a little while back. I had coconut milk lying around in the fridge so decided to try out Jodi's recipe - YUM.

PUMPKIN CAKE // 9" round pan

Adapted from Martha

Preheat the oven to 350.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or allspice)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 stick (8 tbsp) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk

What to do:

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

In the bowl of an electric mixture, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy (~2 minutes). Add eggs, pumpkin puree and milk, and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined.

Pour batter into a well greased pan, and bake for 45-55 minutes, until cooked through. Check at 30 to assess remaining time.

Make the cashew cream* and serve one scoop on a slice of cake.

Enjoy!

* For Jodi's cashew cream, check out the recipe here.

MOLASSES COCONUT CAKE

This is a breakfast cake; if cake can be eaten for breakfast. Perfect balance of molasses and coconut and no overpowering sweetness. The figs add a subtle sweetness and moisture, but really, any fruit would do. Having baked goods in the house is dangerous...just saying.

MOLASSES COCONUT CAKE // 9" round pan

A non-vegan version of this

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1/2 cup soy milk
1 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinammon

figs for serving

What to do:

In a stand mixer, whip the butter; then add the syrup, egg, milk and molasses; mix to combine.
Add the remaining ingredients into the mixture and mix until combined.
Grease baking pan, transfer mixture and bake for ~40 minutes (check at 30 and assess).

BIRTHDAY DONUTS

Nigel's 31st birthday seemed like a perfect excuse to attempt to make donuts at home. I had previously heard that the only way to achieve DIY donuts was with a deep fryer. I do not own a deep fryer, nor do I have any intention of ever buying one. Perusing one of my go-to kitchen stores, I stumbled onto this, and knew that donut making was in the cards. 

The finished product was a smashing success and a fabulous birthday treat!

BIRTHDAY DONUTS // makes 12 full size donuts

Make sure to stock up on sprinkles before hand, and do your best to control having them all over your kitchen by the end of it. I followed this recipe almost to the T, and was beyond pleased with the results!

Preheat the oven to 350.

Ingredients / What to do:

Whisk together

2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix together wet ingredients

1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs, beated
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all together and add

1/3 cup sprinkles, plus more for decorating

What to do next:


Fill the pan holes about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 12-14 minutes until the donuts are dry on top and spring back when lightly touched. Let cool for a few minutes before transferring from pan to drying rack.

Let donuts cool completely before dipping top down into glaze and then sprinkles.

For the glaze

1 1/4 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla