I was 28 years old the first time I ate a fig. I’d had Fig Newtons before but never a real fresh fig. I remember that first time pretty well. It was while I was working for Live It Learn It and I was taking students on a trip to visit the Washington Youth Garden (WYG) which is located inside the National Arboretum. During the trip fourth grade students tour the garden, learn about food groups, and pick fruits and vegetable that will be used in making a healthy snack.

Sometimes while they gather materials for the snack they also get to taste things along the way. On this particular visit, the figs were ripe and our WYG educator picked one and cut it in pieces for the kids. While in the garden the kids try a lot of foods they haven’t had before but that are familiar to me. This time I was in the same boat as the kids. I had never had a fig and was both nervous and excited to try. It looked a little funny but seemed harmless enough. I asked the educator if I could try some of the fig too, and I found (along with the kids) that I liked it! It tasted like a Fig Newton (duh) but also softer, brighter, and like warm sunshine. It is one of the freshest things I’ve ever eaten. Since then, I’ve tried to be more often to eating and cooking with figs. 

On the outside, figs aren’t so beautiful. They look like fat purplish-green bulbs. The inside is a whole different story. Figs are bright colored, nearly magenta and full of tiny edible seeds. I think the insides are really gorgeous and so should definitely be shown off when cooking. I chose to pair them alongside my other favorite pretty fruit with lots of seeds: strawberries. So this fig and strawberry cake was born. However, both of these fruits are most attractive raw. There’s something about baking fruit that makes them sort of ugly because they get wrinkly and discolored. Appetizing descriptions right?

But what strawberries and figs lose in aesthetic luster, they gain in flavor. Sprinkled with sugar and baked they take on a soft jam-like flavor and texture. A few weeks ago I made a peach upside down cake, and with that recipe the peaches stay firmly on the top layer of the cake. Here, the fruit is put on top of the batter and as the cake bakes the fruit softens, falls a little bit, and gets ooey gooey inside. It’s a nice summery flavor surprise.

Since the fruit it put on top of the batter and sugar is sprinkled on top the cake has a rustic homemade look to it. But in the nicest, most comforting, though slightly trendy way possible. It’s the kind of thing you would find in a small indie coffee shop or at a farmer’s market. I also think it’s a really forgiving cake to make. Sometimes you want your cake to be iced perfectly, the fruit to be placed perfectly, and the slices to come out perfectly. This cake lets you be a bit messy and unkempt. It’s ok if the fruit falls into the batter a bit, if it browns unevenly, or if it is a bit crumbly. It’s going to taste good and that’s all the matters. I mean, it’s just cake for goodness sake!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Messy level: Three spoons. It’s not more messy than any other cake, but I think cake by nature is a bit messy. Cake is messy because you need two bowls and because something always gets thrown out of my stand mixer.

Fig and Strawberry Cake

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour 10 mins

Total time

1 hour 25 mins

 

Serves: 8 slices

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons/ 85 grams butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 1½ cups / 188 grams all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup / 200 grams plus 2 tablespoons / 5 grams granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup/ 118 ml milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2-4 figs cut into quarters, depending on taste
• about 10 medium strawberries, halved (use a few more or less depending on taste)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F /180°C.
2. Butter a 10-inch pie pan and set aside.
3. In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the egg, milk, and almond extract to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until just combined.
6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little bit at a time (I did about ¼ cup at a time). Mix until just combined. It's ok if there are some lumps.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared pie plate.
8. Arrange figs skin side down and strawberries cut side down on top of batter. Arrange them in whatever way you think looks nice. Put them as close together as possible in a single layer. You might think you can't fit everything but you can definitely fit more than you think.
9. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the fruit.
10. Put the cake in the oven and bake cake for 10 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 325°F/160°C and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Let cool then cut and serve.

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Today is a day when practically everyone in London needs a slice of cake. Why? Because of the Tube strike. For most people, the commute today is longer and more crowded (which also means hotter and sweatier). This was my first strike experience. Last year I was unemployed and it didn’t bother me and last month I had the day off. I left super early to ensure I wasn’t late for work, and in fact, I was an hour early. However, it did take me an hour longer than usual to get here. See, it’s tough. We all need a slice of cake.

If I’m honest, I think the perfect cake to soothe commute related stress is this chocolate lava cake I wrote about a few years ago. It’s the perfect cake because it’s unhealthy, indulgent, and incredibly easy to make. However, this cake is a close second because I think it’s the perfect cake to have for breakfast. And I’m a huge advocate of cake for breakfast. This cake will give you a sugar burst to pep up your morning, it’s not to terribly unhealthy, and then you could have another slice when you get home at the end of the day. 

I think any cake is good for breakfast, but let me sing the praises of this specific cake. First, it has peaches so that right there practically makes it a health food. Before making this cake I had been thinking a lot about baking with peaches. When peaches are good, oh man are they good. When I eat a nice peach it makes me feel like a kid again because the juice dribbles everywhere but the taste is warm and sweet like sunshine. I decided on an upside down cake because then the peach’s natural beauty could be on display (where as in a pie it’s hidden).

Second, this cake is good for breakfast because it’s sweet enough to feel like a treat and give you a pick-me-up, but it’s not so sickly sweet you want to brush your teeth right after. Third, this cake is low in calories. A lot of people eat muffins for breakfast and many of those store bought muffins are basically cakes masquerading as a filling breakfast food. For example, some Starbucks muffins have over 400 calories per muffin! So why not cut out the faking and actually have a real delicious cake for breakfast. This cake, if you cut this cake in 8 slices, each piece has less than 250 calories per serving. Second, it’s made with some whole grain flour, Greek yogurt, and of course peaches so there is actually a bit of nutritional value in this cake. See, the perfect breakfast cake.

It’s also a good anytime cake. (I mean what cake isn’t a good anytime cake). I made this last weekend before heading to my friend’s for board game night and it went over well. This cake is sweet enough that it feels like dessert but you don’t have to feel guilty. And of course, the best part of the cake is the delicious peaches. They add a slight crunch and a bright juiciness. It’s wonderful. The overall taste is the right balance of wholesome and sweet. And for a day like today with a tough commute, I think we could all use that combo of a treat that’s not so bad for you. So go ahead, have some cake London. We deserve it.

Messy level: I think all cakes are three spoon recipes. You need two bowls, you have to measure so much, and of course I spill flour everywhere. Also this batter is really thick so it’s not pourable. You basically have to slap it down on top of the peaches and then smooth is with a knife (or your fingers if you’re like me). A bit messy, but worth it. Cake is always worth it.

Peach Upside Down Cake

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Serves: 8 slices

Ingredients

• 2 small-medium peaches, thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided (plus extra not-melted for greasing)
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon whisky
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ½ cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup plain fat-free yogurt, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Grease a 8" cake pan with butter. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease that.
3. In a small bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of butter, the brown sugar, and the whisky. Dip the slices of peaches into this sugar mixture.
4. Line the bottom of your prepared pan with the dipped peaches. Arrange the peaches in pretty concentric circles.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, both flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
6. In another bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, yogurt, 3 tablespoons of butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
7. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredient. Fold together until just combined. It will be a thick batter.
8. Spoon the batter over the peaches. Smooth out the batter with a knife or your finger.
9. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until browned and a toothpick put in the center comes out mostly clean.
10. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool for one minute.
11. Run a knife around the outside edge of the cake to loosen it. Then carefully invert the cake and remove the pan.
12. Cut, serve, enjoy!

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The weekend is always, always too short. Friday after work the world is my oyster and there seems to be so much time for sleeping, watching TV, playing video games, cooking, going out, and doing some chores. But then somehow, all of a sudden, the daylight starts to fade and it is Sunday night and although the weekend has been glorious the bathroom is still dirty and I still want to play more video games. 

I always want more weekend, and thankfully this past one was gloriously relaxing and did include lots of cooking. And lots of cooking in a good way. Weekends are were I can do the ambitious cooking there isn’t time for during the week. Weekends are also the time when I can just whip up something easy because I feel like it.  And that’s exactly what it was like with this lovely and simple cider cake. I felt like making a cake, so I made a cake.

I like to borrow cookbooks from the library. It lets me get creative and try something new without having to spend money or clutter my home with more books. Don’t get me wrong I love cookbooks and would buy more, but I live in a studio and someone says I should cut back. Anyway, I recently borrowed Paul Hollywood’s British Baking and it’s filled with all kinds of tasty goodies from regions throughout the Britain. When I flipped through the book I was immediately drawn to the cider recipe.

I love cider and I love that it is everywhere in the UK. In the U.S. it’s pretty much beer or not beer. The only time I ever had hard cider at home was if I bought Woodchuck to go to a party. But here you can go to a pub and order cider in bottles or on draft. The tastes and types vary and it’s not a drink just for girls. In summation, I love the idea of baking with cider. Cider is delicious and a little gets to go in the cake, and then I can have a little too.

This cake is subtle with a hint of apple and a bit of cinnamon. While baking it will fill your home with a wonderful aroma. The cake is sweet enough you feel like you’re having a treat, but not so dessert-y that you’ll feel bad about having more than one slice. Have it with some tea, cozy up on the couch, and binge watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Netflix. That’s what I did it. It was the perfect example of enjoying luxuriating in simple pleasures.

Adapted from Paul Hollywood’s British Baking Cookbook.

Messy level: The cleanest easiest cake I’ve ever made. You need just two bowls and a cake pan. It’s simple to make and when I finished I had only a small spill on the floor. I was so excited by how clean my kitchen was at the end of baking that I made Ryan acknowledge how well I had done.

Cider Cake

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Ingredients

• 100g/ 7 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 100g/ ½ cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 225g/8 oz/ 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 150ml/ 5 oz/ ⅔ cup dry cider
• confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Grease an 7inch/18cm round cake tin with butter. Then line the bottom with parchment paper (Just fyi, I used a 8 inch/20cm cake tin and this worked fine, but I thought I'd share what the expert said)
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat until the sugar and butter are light and fluffy. (This can take a minute or two)
4. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
5. Fold in about ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter. Then fold in half of the cider. Repeat until you have alternated mixing in the flour and cider. Stir gently until evenly combined.
6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake pan.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.
8. Leave the cake to cool.
9. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.

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When people find out I like to cook and that I write a blog they always ask me what is my favorite thing to cook. And I’m super eloquent and say things like, “um..erm…well… I don’t really know.” Super helpful, right? But when I really think about it, my favorite thing to make is cookies. I love that it’s a bunch of ingredients, and many of them you wouldn’t eat as they are, like flour, eggs, and baking soda; but then all together those ingredients become something delicious. I like that there are fancy looking cookies and simple drop cookies. And don’t get me started on cookie cutters. I would amass an even larger collection if I had the space.

Today’s cookies I really like because they are simple to make and have a really cool crackle look. And the best part is you don’t have to do a lot of work to acheive it. Seriously. You let science and baking do the work for you. In the interest of full disclosure, these cookies were supposed to be red velvet, but as you can see from the pictures they are more brown than red. The cookies didn’t end up red because I followed the recipe too closely and ignored my better judgement. In general, recipes are helpful, but sometimes your eye can tell you something is wrong even if the paper is saying it should be fine. I think most of the time, listen to your eye. That’s a weird sentence, and I hope you know what I mean.

Here’s where I think I lost the red color: first, I bought fancy eggs and their yolks were the deepest, most golden orange I had ever seen. These are the eggs that Brooklyn hipsters, organic farmers, and pro-locavore movement books tell you about. I’m only sorry I didn’t take a picture of how gorgeous the eggs were. Anyway, the recipe called for mixing 1 1/2 teaspoons of food coloring into the egg mixture. I did, and it looked decidedly maroon. I thought the dark eggs may have led to a dark color. But, no matter, I was going to add the flour and lighten things up.

Only, that was a dumb thought because the white flour was mixed with brown cocoa powder, which only made the whole thing darker. Now I was panicked, because it was clear this wasn’t going to be brilliant red like the magazine picture. So I tried throwing on a little more food coloring, but by the time the flour is in the batter, the whole thing is getting thick, and it’s much harder to mix in a liquid. In the end, I think my cookies achieved the burgundy color that only seems to appear in a men’s dress shoe. Appetizing, I know, but I do think that color is nice and special in its own way.

Don’t let my color mistakes dissuade you, these cookies are worth it at any color. They are impossibly moist and cake-like in consistency. The were so delicious I ate three as I was taking pictures of them and then two I was done. If you can get them to be bright red, I think they would be an amazing Valentine’s Day treat.

Adapted, ever so slightly, from Food Network Magazine, December 2014.

Messy level: Two spoons. Like most cookies, you need two bowls, some mixing utensils, and cookie sheets. You will need a third bowl for confectioner’s sugar so you can roll ball of dough in it. That’s the messy part because no matter how careful you are, you’re likely to inhale a confectioner’s sugar cloud.

Crackle Cookies

 

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Prep time

1 hour 20 mins

Cook time

18 mins

Total time

1 hour 38 mins

 

Serves: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 oz white chocolate chips
• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• red food coloring
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (in the UK I use caster sugar)
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar (you might not need this much)

Instructions

1. Put white chocolate in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. This took me 60 seconds.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, and food coloring. Start with 1½ teaspoons of food coloring and add more until you have the color you like.
4. Whisk the white chocolate and sugar into the egg mixture until smooth.
5. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until it is smooth.
6. Transfer the batter to a large square of plastic wrap. Wrap it all up and pat it into a rectangle. Make sure it is tightly wrapped, then put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or up until over night.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C.
8. Put the confectioner's sugar in a bowl. Start with ½ a cup, then add more as needed so you aren't wasting.
9. Roll tablespoon size pieces of dough into a ball. Dip them in the confectioners sugar and coat completely.
10. Flatten the balls slightly, then dip them in the confectioner's sugar again.
11. Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on your prepared sheet. Note: If you're going to bake 2 sheets at a time, swap the cookie sheets between top an bottom halfway through baking.
12. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed a bit and firm.
13. Let cool, then stuff your face.

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I love gingerbread so much that over the summer I found gingerbread lip balm, bought it, and then saved using it until last week. Ya know, so I’d only use it “in season.” I also love a good gingerbread latte. Look how cute this one is from Costa Coffee! Ryan said the gingerbread man looks so happy, but he doesn’t know he’s about to be submerged in hot liquid. And of course gingerbread cookies for Christmas. This year, I want to try and make a gingerbread house from scratch. However, as much as I love gingerbread, I’d never had it in a bready-cakey form. Obviously, that had to be remedied so I made a gingerbread cake.

If you haven’t had gingerbread cake before, please try this recipe. It is so moist, even four or five days after making it. The batter is actually pretty liquidy when finished, so that probably contributes to its moistness. The best part though is that this cake is jam packed with flavor. It has Guinness (or whatever stout you prefer) and for me, that gives it “chocolate notes” without it actually having chocolate. I know that might sound like the pretentious sort of thing you say about wine, but there are flavors in the cake that remind me of the richness of chocolate. I also think the Guinness adds just a slight edge of bitterness, which is nice because it keeps the cake from being too sweet (which most holiday cakes are).

But, a lot of the flavor comes from the fresh and ground ginger, cinnamon, molasses, and pepper. I love this combination of flavors. It is warming, intense on my taste buds, and makes me feel like holiday cheer is nearby. This cake has real presence. This is not a cake you absentmindedly scarf down, and later can’t recall what it tastes like, but all you know is that your teeth are coated in sugar. This cake is different. This cake says hey, I’m here, step into Christmas. This is the cake that is so full of character and quality that you only need a small piece to feel happy, satisfied, and full of holiday spirit. Warning: If you serve this at a party, let people know what it is so they don’t expect a brownie and then end up with an unexpected (but awesome) flavor shock.

I recommend serving it with a cloud of whipped cream because the light sweetness helps mellow out the cake. Or, better yet. Cozy up on the couch with a blanket, your favorite movie, and a cup of herbal tea. I don’t think you could have a more relaxing and pleasant afternoon.

I got this recipe from KCET, a California TV station, but originally it comes from America’s Test Kitchen.

Messy level: Three spoons. For the batter you need a sauce pan, two bowls, and the baking pan. It’s a lot of dishes! Also, molasses is always messy and buttering and flouring a pan can lead to spills. It’s not a daunting mess – you won’t have a ruined counter or apron, but it’s definitely not a one bowl cake.

Gingerbread Cake

 

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Ingredients

• ¾ cup Guiness (or stout of your choice)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅔ cup molasses
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pan
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• powdered sugar (optional for dusting)
• whipped cream (optional, but highly recommended, for a side)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350/180°.
2. Butter and flour 8-inch square baking pan.
3. In a medium sauce pan, bring Guiness to boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
4. When it's come to a boil, remove from heat and stir in baking soda. The Guiness will foam up. When the foam stops, stir in molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir until dissolved. It might like dissolved, but stir a bit more, I found the molasses deceiving.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.
6. Pour the stout mixture into a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, oil, and grated ginger into the stout mixture. (You can do this all in the sauce pan if you want, but I don't want you scratching your pan)
7. Take wet mixture and whisk it into flour mixture in thirds. Each time you add, stir until completely smooth before adding more.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan against counter 3 or 4 times to remove air bubbles. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean and the top should be a bit firm.
9. Cool cake in pan.
10. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if using. Then cut into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if using.

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But England does not celebrate pumpkin everything like the U.S. I can’t find pumpkin spice in the grocery store so I make my own instead. A few weeks ago I had a craving for a pumpkin spice latte. Ryan and I decided to trek over to Starbucks to find out if it had arrived. Mind you, in the U.S. you’d never have to guess because every Starbucks window would be plastered with orange writing and pumpkin pictures. On the way to Starbucks we passed at least four proper coffee shops and a few other places that also sold coffee, but my heart was set on a PSL. We got there, and we were nervous, but they had it! It was advertised with only one small picture and a line item on the menu. How are the people of England supposed to know about pumpkin mania with such little advertising?

To get my true pumpkin fix, I hit the kitchen. I found this recipe for a pumpkin swiss roll on Pinterest and I was excited, but nervous to try it out. To make the beautiful swirl you have to bake then roll up a cake. Roll up a cake?! What if I break it? The key is, as soon as it comes out of the oven, you roll up the cake (without the filling) while it is hot. The cake won’t be so hot as to burn you, but I recommend using gloves or an oven mitt to make it easier. Then, wait for the cake to  be completely cool. It’s hard to be patient (and Ryan and I weren’t entirely patient), but if the cake is hot it will melt your filling and you don’t want that.

This cake is a great treat for any old day, but I also think it can be pretty enough to bring to a party or to your Thanksgiving feasts. The swirl of cream cheese looks just beautiful when cut. And you might not believe me, but this is actually easy to make. Any level of baker can make this recipe, I know it. Most importantly, this roll is incredible delicious. Ryan and I ate this whole roll in about two and a half days and have been talking about making another one ever since. As you can see, we still haven’t gotten our pumpkin fix yet.

I hope you enjoy the new recipe format below. I like this a lot because it looks more streamlined and easy to read. If you like to print recipes, you can finally do that. If you bring your computer into the kitchen, like I do, then you don’t have to scroll as much and won’t get dirty fingers on the keyboard. The only drawback is that I can’t post pictures alongside the steps, but for difficult or strange techniques I’ll still post those pictures above the recipe.

Now enough talk. Get your pumpkin on! Recipe by Sweet Anna’s.

Messy level: This is a three spoon recipe, but just barely. I’m giving it three spoons because you need two bowls for the cake, one for the frosting, and then you still have to sprinkle powdered sugar everywhere. Also, if you over fill the inside you’ll have a cream cheese burst (like I did) at the end of the cake.

Pumpkin Rolls with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

 

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Ingredients

• for the cake:
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (for dusting the towel)
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup pumpkin purée
• for the filling:
• 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tbsp butter, softened (if you don't let it soften you will have butter chunks in your filling)
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375º/190º.
2. Line a 10x15" jelly roll pan with parchment paper. (a pan with edges all around, you have to have this pan) Then grease the parchment paper.
3. Somewhere on your counter, spread out a clean kitchen towel or piece of parchment paper, and sprinkle that with powdered sugar.
4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice & salt.
5. In a large bowl, beat eggs, vanilla & sugar until thick & creamy.
6. Add in the pumpkin and mix to combine.
7. Stir in the flour mixture.
8. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan. Spread the batter evenly.
9. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Stay on the side of slightly under cooked, if you over cook it then cake will be too dry and won't roll.
10. Immediately loosen the edges of the cake and turn it out onto the sugared towel/parchment. Peel off the parchment paper.
11. Roll up the cake & towel together fairly tightly, starting with a narrow end.
12. Cool completely on a wire rack.
13. Now start on the filling. In another medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter & vanilla until smooth.
14. Carefully unroll the cooled cake (removing the towel) and spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the cake, coming to about 1″ away from the edges. If you go all the way to the edge, you will have filling oozing out the end.
15. Carefully reroll the cake, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
16. Before serving cut a little slice off of each end so the roll has a smooth look. Then dust the top with powdered sugar.

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On Saturday night Aaron and Katy (Ryan’s twin brother and his wife) emailed they were going to the hospital. I was jumping up and down in the street with excitement. Then Sunday Ryan and I woke up with an email and a photo of their son Boden! It’s their first kid, and our first nephew. We are an uncle and aunt for the first time!

We were so excited we went straight to the grocery store to buy ingredients to make Boden a celebration birthday cake. I’ve been sort of obsessed with Boden (and spoiling him) since last November. Around Thanksgiving last year we were all getting together and I had a dream that Aaron and Katy were going to announce they were pregnant and that they were going to have a boy named Jeremy. In January, we got a phone call that Katy was pregnant (and I did some jumping up and down in the street). A few months later, we found out the baby was a boy (more jumping). He isn’t named Jeremy, but I can’t win them all.

Ryan came up with the idea of getting the “0” candle. I thought it was so clever!

Anyway, I knew I wanted to make Boden a special cake. A cake that will be Boden’s cake. A cake that in the future, when Boden comes to visit, he will look forward to it and ask for it.  As I told some of my friends, I want to be fun aunt Mariel who always has cake. I’ve been wanting to make ancake with a design on the inside and this seemed like the perfect occasion. After spending a lot of time on the internet searching for a perfect yellow cake recipe (with ingredients I could find in a UK grocery store) I decided to stick with a Victoria Sandwich cake because it is a tasty and versatile.

A Victoria Sandwich is named for Queen Victoria. It’s two layers of yellow sponge cake with raspberry or strawberry jam in the middle. Sometimes there’s cream too, but I’m told that is a 20th century addition. The Victoria Sandwich is often served with tea, but when I went to tea a few weeks ago it wasn’t on the menu. I still haven’t had it outside my own kitchen. I’ll need to get on that. But I made it for myself because I learned about it on my favorite show, the Great British Bake Off, and I’m always eager to try new cakes.

I’m using Mary Berry‘s recipe for Victoria Sandwich. It calls for caster sugar, which in the US is called superfine sugar. In my experience, it isn’t always easy to find super fine sugar in the US. I have read that granulated sugar is finer in the US than in the UK, so if you’re in the US and can’t find superfine sugar then granulated should work just fine. I’m going to post the traditional recipe first and then the checkerboard recipe second. I’ll make it clear when to switch between the two. The frosting recipe in Version #2 comes from BBC Good Food. Enjoy and happy birthday Boden!

Traditional Victoria Sandwich: Version #1

Ingredients:

225g/2 sticks/1 cup butter, softened

225g/1 cup/8 oz caster sugar (superfine sugar), plus extra for sprinkling

225g/2 cups/8 oz self-rising flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 large eggs, room temperature

About 4+ tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam

Directions:

1. One hour before you want to start baking take your butter and eggs out of the fridge. This is important because it helps everything mix together better.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

3. Grease two 8″/20cm cake pans. Line the bottom of the pan with circles of parchment paper. Grease the circles.

4. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Then add the caster sugar, flour, baking powder, and eggs.

5. Using the electric mixer on low, beat for 2 minutes until smooth. The mixture will be soft and fall off the beaters easily. Don’t over beat it! You want the cake to be light and fluffy.

6. Divide the mixtures equally between the prepared tins. Use a knife to smooth out the surface. You can eyeball evenness, but for the checkerboard cake it is best if you can weigh the batter so the cake heights will be even. You can see in Step 8 that I didn’t measure. (If you’re doing the checkerboard cake move below to Version #2)

7. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. It took me 25 minutes. The cakes are ready when they are risen and golden.

8. Cool on a wire rack. Make sure you rest the cakes on their flat sides, because you don’t want the ridges to show in your finished product.

9. Put one cake on a plate, rounded side down. Spread the jam over the flat side of that cake.

10. Then place the other layer on top (flat side down, rounded side up). Sprinkle the top with caster sugar.

11. Cut and serve.

Messy level: This is really quite a clean cake recipe! I think it is because it is so straightforward to make. You put all the ingredients in at once, you bake, then spread the jam. The only messy part is sprinkling the caster sugar at the end. Easy peasy.

Boden’s Birthday Cake – Version #2

Ingredients:

Cake:

Same as above

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

2 different colors of gel or liquid food coloring

Frosting:

10 oz dark chocolate (I used 2 chocolate bars, and this would work with milk chocolate too)

10 oz heavy cream

(If you need more frosting, just use equal parts chocolate and heavy cream)

Directions:

1. Follow Steps 1-6 above. If using, add in the vanilla extract with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Your batter is now divided into two cake pans. Add one food coloring to each pan. I did one blue and one green. Mix gently! If you over mix your cake will be dense. Add food coloring until you have your desired color (I used a lot).

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes. It took me 25 minutes. The cakes are ready when they are risen and golden.

4. Cool on a wire rack until they are easy to handle. Then put them in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes. Having them chill makes them easier to cut for the checkerboard pattern.

5. Meanwhile, start on the frosting. Cut the chocolate into small pieces.

6. In a medium saucepan heat the heavy cream on low-medium heat. You are heating this until small bubbles start to form along the edge of the cream. Alternatively you can check it by sticking your finger in. If you can hold it there for 3-4 seconds, but longer feels like too much, then it is ready. You just want the cream hot enough to melt your chocolate.

7. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Stir until it is shiny, gorgeous, and well combined.

8. Cool the frosting. You can do this on the counter, but is much faster in the fridge. If you cool for 20 minutes, it will still be a little drippy but you can use this for the inside of the cake. For frosting the outside of the cake let it cool for at least an hour! By then it will be thick and like frosting you buy from the store. Also thick frosting is better for patching up any mistakes you make (and I’ll tell you about mine in a second).

9. Once the cakes are cool put them on the counter. Find two circles that are smaller than the cake. If you have cake cutters that’s great, but I didn’t. I used a small bowl and a cup. What you are going to do is cut out two smaller circles out of your larger cake.

10. Place your larger cake cutter (or bowl) over the center of the cake. I measured, but you can eyeball it. If you’re using a bowl take a knife and cut straight down into the cake (try not to cut diagonal). Then repeat with the smaller cutter (or cup). Now you have six rings of cake. I cracked the large green layer. If this happens to you, don’t worry. Frosting will cure it.

11. Now take one large ring (let’s say blue). Frost the inside edge. Put a medium ring inside (green). Frost the inside edge. Put the small circle inside (blue). The frosting holds the layers together. Don’t worry if it isn’t neat. So you’ve made one layer that looks like a bulls eye.

12. Frost the top of the bulls eye layer.

13. Put the other large ring on top of the first layer. Then repeat step eleven. So you’ll have bulls eye layer (blue, green, blue), then a frosting layer, then the second bulls eye later (green, blue, green).

14. Frost the exterior of the cake. Use the frosting to mend cracks and hide any unevenness in the layers.Frosting will make it all look smooth and beautiful. I recommend frosting the cake on a cutting board or parchment paper, because if you’re like you’ll get frosting all over. Then when the cake is ready you can remove it to a clean plate and it will look best.

15. Decorate as desired (excuse my frosting penmanship).

16. Sing happy birthday! Cut and eat! Look at that sweet checkerboard.

Messy level: This turned out to be an epic mess. I got cake crumbs all over when I was cutting the circles. But the messiest part was the frosting! My hands melted the chocolate as I was cutting it. Then before it cools, the chocolate is so drippy! I got chocolate everywhere when I was making the bulls eye. The counter was 70% covered in chocolate. Ryan came over and looked at the counter and chuckled. I told him that the blog is called cooking is messy for a reason.

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This weekend was a lovely long weekend filled with food! Ryan had a half day on Friday and he came home and we made lunch together. I was in the mood for a delicious sandwich so we went to the grocery store to get ingredients for steak sandwiches. Ryan was the executive chef and I was the sous chef. He made all the decisions and did most of the cooking. I did the prep and washed the dishes. Our steak was topped with cheddar cheese, onions, and mushrooms on a baguette and served along side fries. It was so good and I ate so much, I didn’t even eat dinner!

On Saturday we had a relaxing day. It’s practically fall here so we were craving pumpkin spice lattes. Unfortunately it’s too early for that so we got regular coffee, then did some shopping, and then went to the pub for the Arsenal match.

Sunday we went to the BBC Good Food Festival at Hampton Court. I’ve gushed about Hampton Court before. It’s the palace of Henry VIII and it’s gorgeous and wonderful. When I heard about this festival I could not contain my excitement. Lots of food in my favorite place?! YES PLEASE! This past weekend the palace gardens were foodie paradise. There were demonstrations and lectures and cookbooks on sale. And there was so much food to eat. There were tons of vendors selling and giving away samples. I tried sauces, curries, blood orange liqueur, wine, and cheese. I also tested out some fancy knives. One of them was truly impressive. I cut through a turnip like it was butter and the vendor showed me how she could easily peel a tomato. It was a really cool knife.

We were lucky to have a gorgeous sunny day. We sat in the grass, listened to the brass band, and indulged in food. Ryan and I had venison sausage, a steak sandwich (Ryan’s was better), churros, gelato, and a lemon cake. We did share most of that food, but in total we still ate a lot. I especially liked the lemon cake. We were walking along when a boy came up and asked if we’d try his stands’ cakes and biscuits. I said no and he looked so crestfallen. I felt so guilty and I was about to go back to him when I saw the Little Round Cake Co. Everything they had looked so beautiful. Ryan took one beautiful picture of the cake and then some silly pictures of me pretending to eat it. People looked askance at us but I didn’t care, I was eating cake.

Don’t worry too much about my eating, I worked out on Monday to make up for the weekend’s gluttony

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My mom and Ryan’s mom organized a going away party for us this weekend. It was wonderful to be surrounded by many of our family and friends. I felt so loved and was really touched that people made the trip out to send us off. And I liked having so many different groups of people together. I felt warm and fuzzy, but I also got a bit weepy. With so many people supporting and encouraging us, what can’t we accomplish, even if we are far away? But, being far away… I will miss so many things and so many people. So I cried a bit. But not too much.

The party itself was lovely. My mom got us the most BEAUTIFUL cake. She ordered it from Samantha of Sweet Eats Cakes. My family is a little obsessed with her. Samantha made Ryan and my wedding cake, and in total, to this day, she’s made us five cakes. We love Samantha because her pricing is affordable, she is so flexible and easy to contact, and most importantly her cake is so delicious. Each slice of incredibly moist cake has four layers, which means tons of cake and more space for frosting. She makes great fruit purees and a chocolate ganache. What blows my mind is her butter cream! The frosting is light in texture but so deeply infused with flavor. Oh man, Ryan and I will miss her cakes.  Below is my Sweet Eats Cakes photo collage. 

Our going away party cake had three tiers. The bottom tier was decorated to look like Hershey, Ryan’s home town. The second tier was Baltimore, my home town. And the third tier was London, our future home town. The cake was so intricate with recognizable buildings from each city’s skyline. Even better, each tier was a different flavor! There was chocolate and hazelnut, yellow cake with oreo butter cream, and yellow cake with lemon butter cream and raspberry puree.  I made sure to eat all three flavors.

Ryan and I also walked away from the party with a great haul of gifts to remind us of home and get us ready for London. We got Nationals and Ravens gear, cookbooks, and guidebooks. We also got a ton of snack food. A picture of our snack mountain is below. Did you know there’s no peanut butter in London? Or marshmallows? Or graham crackers? That’s according to the internet, so I don’t know for sure. But I have a hard time believing that the country of London lives without smores. How could that be?

I’m not sure, but I’ll be sure to scour the grocery stores and once I’m there and let you know. And so the countdown begins. 5 days for Ryan, and a little less than 2 weeks for me. England here we come!

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I love today’s job. I’ve been there for over a year and a half, and I started as an intern. I’ve had such fun, I’ve gotten great learning opportunities, and I’ve made wonderful friends. So I decided to do something nice for my coworkers on my last day and make Abraham Lincoln’s favorite cake. I don’t know how the historical record proves this was his favorite cake, but the gift shop says it was his favorite so I’m rolling with it. They sell this recipe on a really cute kitchen towel. I was eager to try it, but also a bit daunted. There are a lot of steps, a lot of egg whites, and I needed an angel food pan. I did some searching and I found some angel food pans for $25-30. I love kitchen gadgets, but I didn’t want to spend $20+ on something I wouldn’t use that much. I reached out to friends and no one had an angel food pan. I looked on Craig’s List and Freecycle, And then I thought about eBay, and there are some great prices but  nothing would arrive before my last day. Yesterday I went to Giant to look for a disposable pan, and I found a real one for $9.20. Awesome deal, so I bought it.

I know I’m talking a lot about angel food pans, but I was a little intimidated. It’s two pieces because angel food is apparently really light and sticky and so having the bottom pop out makes it easier to remove the cake. I found this great Martha Stewart video about how to use an angel food pan. I thought it was helpful because before watching I didn’t know you’re supposed to let the pan cool while it’s inverted. Crazy, right? Anyway, I don’t even know if this cake is even technically angel food cake. It didn’t rise as much as Martha’s cake and it came out really easily without inverting it. Seriously, it was the cleanest cake removal I’ve ever done. I was so impressed by how clean the lines of the cake are, and you can see a picture in a little bit.

Ryan and I really liked the cake, and I hope my coworkers will too when I bring it to them in a few hours. The cake was moist, with a little crunch from the almonds. And also, the frosting is delicious! It hardens a bit as it sits, but when it’s freshly made and still warm, it is just like marshmallow fluff. It was so good. I kept “accidentally” getting it on spoons and my hands and then I just had to eat it to clean everything up. What a hardship.

Again, I thought this cake was really good but what would take it up a notch would be to drizzle on some strawberry or raspberry sauce.  I think it would really brighten the flavor. The original gift-shop-towel recipe does call for optional fruits but I didn’t use them because I really didn’t know where I’d find candied pineapple and crystallized cherries. Anyway, here’s to you Abraham Lincoln and to my coworkers. This is my adaptation of Lincoln’s cake. Thank you for a wonderful year and a half.

Ingredients:

Cake-

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

3 cups flour

1 tsbp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 cup almonds finely chopped (you can buy this or just throw a bunch of whole almonds into a food processor)

6 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting – 

2 egg whites

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Cake – 

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Grease and flour the angel food pan. First I greased it all up with butter. Then I poured  few tsps of flour into the pan. I shook it all around to coat the pan. I also used a silicon basting brush to get the flour into ever nook and cranny. Once it’s well floured, knock out excess flour into the sink or trash can.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar.

4. Sift flour and baking powder 3 times.

I took this picture because I almost never use my sifter and I was excited

5. Add 1/3 of the flour to the butter mixture. Mix. Add 1/3 of the milk to the mixture. Mix. Repeat until all the flour and milk have been added.

6. Add the almonds.

7. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold them gently into the batter.

8. Add extract and mix.

9. Pour into the pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The top should be golden brown and if you insert a toothpick it should come out clean.

You can see my oven thermometer in the back left

10. Let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

11. Remove from pan and let it cool until you are ready to put on the frosting.

Doesn’t this cake have the smoothest edges?! It’s amazing.

Frosting – 

1. Beat egg whites until very stiff.

2. Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring it to a boil.

3. Boil until it spins a thread 5″ long. That means when you put a spoon in it, and then take it out, there’s a fine thin thread between the spoon and pan. This happens at about 240-245°.

4. Remove from heat, and add 1 tbsp of egg whites. Mix.

5. Slowly pour the sugar-water mixture into the rest of the egg whites.

6. Beat until icing forms peaks.

7. Fold in extract.

8. Ice your cake!

Messy Level: Medium-high.

Expert bakers probably have a more efficient use of materials. But for me, the home cook, I felt like I used a ton of dishes! I was going for ease of cooking, rather than ease of clean up. I used two bowls for the flour so I could sift back and forth three times. I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer for the majority of the cake batter, but I also used a handheld electric mixer and bowl to beat all the egg whites. And, I needed a pot for the frosting. And of course, there’s all the measuring cups and spoons too. This cake takes a lot of work! But, just imagine how difficult it would have been for Mary Todd 150 years ago!

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