Lavender Lemonade Cocktail

Hello faithful readers and those who have stumbled across my site by chance! Let's lift a glass together and help me celebrate my next journey in life: after seven years at a desk job, I'm off to pursue singing opera! I'm finally taking that next step and throwing myself out there. But first I'll be doing some travelling. Yay!

So look forward to blogs from abroad and blogs from Pittsburgh this summer. They might be sporadic, but they should be interesting!

Lavender Lemonade Cocktail (my own recipe)
Bring 2 cups of water to a simmer and stir in 2 Tablespoons of honey. When honey is mixed into the water, turn off the burner. Add 2+ Tablespoons of lavender and steep for at least 15 minutes (longer for a stronger lavender flavor.) Strain the lavender through a fine mesh and pour the liquid into pre-made lemonade (1/2 gallon or less.) Stir in and cool in refrigerator. Add Jack Daniels or some vodka to the drink or enjoy by itself.

Bake well and prosper!

Cherry Lemonade Bars with Lavender Frosting

I got to use my new mixer to make these bars!

Check out this sleek, vintage model. How great is it?!

Well, my fellow runner who gave me these cute plates also had this amazing mixer that she wasn't using. I know, I know...I already have a vintage blender. (Yes, the one I got my finger stuck in.) It's still groovy, but I must admit that it has it's drawbacks. This new for me metal one covers those disadvantages. While I LOVE both of my blenders, I still wouldn't mind a Kitchenaid mixer!

 

That's why I am entering these Cherry Lemonade Bars with Lavender Frosting in the Creative Recipe Contest hosted by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Cookies and Cups! The top prize is a pretty Kitchenaid mixer! (Although I'd be fine with the 2nd and 3rd place prizes, I'm trying to go for the gold!)

The contest is a fun one. Entrants had to look through  recipes on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Cookies and Cups and pick one that we like, but thought could be switched up a little bit.

 

Well, I saw these lemonade bars which reminded me that I wanted to make some lavender lemonade and thus my idea was born. I decided to go one step further than making a lavender frosting and added in some delightful cherries.

 

The combination of cherries with lemonade is a win-win. I was a little hesitant to try adding another flavor on top of that, but the subtle lavender flavor in the frosting makes the perfect medley with the tart of the lemon and sweetness of cherries.

 

I personally thought that these were some of the best dessert bars I've made but I couldn't confirm that until my taste testers (aka my coworkers) tried them. They agreed. One said that the flavors were "delicate and yet complex" and another one said that they were "better than monkey bread!" lol

 

You should definitely try making these because it's rather easy and your taste testers will love them! 

Cherry Lemonade Bars with Lavender Frosting (adapted from Cookies and Cups' Lemonade Brownies)

Ingredients for Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/3 cup dry lemonade powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, plus 2 yolks

1 tsp vanilla (Erika's Extras: I was tempted to use almond extract but didn't...NEXT time.)

3/4 cup flour, plus 2 Tbsp

1/4 tsp baking powder

6 sweet cherries, diced (add more cherries if desired)

 

Ingredients for Glaze

3/4 cup water

2 teaspoons of honey

1 Tablespoon of dried lavender

2 cups powdered sugar

 

Instructions for Bars

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or butter an 8x8 pan with cooking spray/butter and set aside.

 

Cream butter, sugar and lemonade powder in mixer on low speed until completely combined. Add in egg, both yolks, and vanilla. Continue mixing until incorporated. Then add in the flour and baking powder.  Once completely combined, add the diced cherries.

 

The batter will be slightly stiff so scoop the batter into prepared pan and then spread it out evenly.

 

Bake 15-20 minutes until edges begin to golden and center is JUST set. Do not over bake.

Remove from oven and cool completely.

 

Instructions for Glaze

In a small pan over medium heat, stir the water and honey until completely combined. Once the water starts steaming, turn off heat, stir in lavender, and then place a lid over the pan and let the lavender seep for 10 minutes.

 

Strain the lavender water through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.

 

Put the powdered sugar in a medium bowl and add a Tablespoon of the lavender water to the powdered sugar. Stir and add a teaspoon of water at a time afterwards and stir in between each teaspoon. Stop adding the water when you get a thick, even, glue-like consistency. If it gets too watery, add more powdered sugar. (You will have lavender water left over.)

 

Pour the glaze on top of the cooled bars and let set for an hour before cutting into squares.

 

(adapted from Cookies and Cups' Lemonade Brownies)

Bake well and prosper!

Lavender Biscotti with Dried Cherries and Pistachios

Lavender: isn't it lovely? I've wanted to bake with it again but last time I stopped at a farmer's market to pick some baking lavender up they were all out. Then I forgot about it until last week when I passed by a lavender stand in Union Square. I happily whipped up this recipe which I had waiting patiently in the wings (aka my "to make" folder.)

 

It was worth the wait. The slight hint of lavender mixed with lemon zest, dried cherries, and pistachios is a perfect combination.  



Lavender Biscotti with Dried Cherries and Pistachios (adapted from u Try.it)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon dried lavender
Zest of 1/2 a lemon, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the sugar, butter, lavender, lemon zest, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Turn mixer to low, add the flour mixture slowly until just combined. Fold in the pistachios and cherries with a rubber spatula.

Slightly flour both hands and transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the dough into a log. Approximately 14-inch in length and 3-inch in width. Bake for 35 minutes or until light golden on the edges. Let it cool on a wiring rack for 30 minutes.

Transfer the log onto the cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices. Return biscotti to the same baking sheet, arrange the biscotti cut side down. Bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes or until they are pale golden. Transfer the biscotti to a wiring rack and let them cool completely.

Bake well and prosper! 

Blog Birthday!

A year ago today I decided to not just bake, but capture my baking via a blog. (Oh, and to capture my messes as I baked). (First post: Well, here we are) Looking back, not a lot has changed.

I still make messes.

Flour is my number 1 nemesis with powdered sugar a close second.

I still get the mess all over my hands.

Mmmm...cake batter. Which reminds me...

I still eat cake batter/dough etc.

I still run, sing, and work at a hedge fund. I still live in the same apartment as a year ago. I'm still a total dork.

Things that have changed within the year:

I broke down and bought a fancy schmancy camera. (Post: I'm a Sell Out)

I somewhat learned how to use said fancy schmancy camera. (Still learning, really.)

I got a boyfriend! (Is got the right word? Caught, perhaps?) UPDATE: Threw him back into the sea.

I'm growing my hair out of my pixie cut.

I've added ads to my blog, although no one has seemed to notice.

I've discovered foodgawker.com and tastespotting.com which has opened up the wonderful world of food blogs and getting to meet (via online) the creators of scrumptious dishes.

I've had more than 10,000 visitors to my site (which might not be a lot for some blogs out there, but means the world to me. Speaking of which - did you know that New Zealanders have a mighty strong sweet tooth?)

So, overall, I've had a lovely year and decided to celebrate by baking a cake from scratch, which I can't remember ever doing. I also made some lavender buttercream frosting. Yum yum yum! Both turned out lovely and were a great way to celebrate.

Chocolate Cake (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 cup margarine

1 3/4 cups white sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Erika's Extra: I added in Ghiradelli chocolate chips, because it was my blog's birthday and because I could.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

 

Lavender Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

1 stick softened butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 Tablespoon + of dried lavender buds.

Red Food Coloring

Blue Food Coloring

Directions:

In a pan, bring heat milk and lavender until boiling point. Let cool/infuse for 10+ minutes. Strain lavender from milk. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter. Beat in the sugar. Pour in 2 Tablespoons only of lavender milk. Frosting should be at a good texture, but feel free to add more milk to change the consistency and flavor of the frosting. Mix in 4 drops of each color of food coloring.

Bake well and prosper!

Do you know you can bake with lavender?

I know. *hanging head* It's been 2 weeks since I posted something (and I try so hard to post once a week!) My excuse: preparing an opera role and training for a marathon. Am I forgiven?

Last week, in between singing at church and singing at opera rehearsal, I bought some lavender from the farmers market by the Natural History Museum.

My mission was to emulate a brownie I loved when I worked at Cafe Lalo.

The brownies were easy enough to make. I used the Supernatural Brownie recipe and added about 2 more tablespoons of flour to make the brownies a little less fudge like.

I wanted to make some sort of white chocolate ganache/glaze to put over the brownies, so I started with white chocolate chips.

Then I poured the heavy cream that I had just heated to boiling point over the chocolate.

I whisked until combined and let cool. THEN (drum roll please), I added the lavender.

That's right. I wanted to make a white chocolate lavender topping to put on the brownies.

My topping turned out a little thinner than I expected, so I set it in the fridge overnight which seemed to do the trick.

White Chocolate Lavender Ganache/Glaze

Ingredients needed:

8 oz White chocolate

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon baking lavender

Put 8oz of white chocolate in a large bowl. Bring the heavy cream to boiling and remove from heat. Pour over white chocolate. For a heavier topping, add more white chocolate. Whisk until fully combined and smooth. Let cool. Add lavender. (Add more than a teaspoon for a stronger taste.) Once cooled completely, feel free to put in fridge to make it a little firmer.

Erika's Extra: If you don't want to chomp on the grainy texture of the lavendar, feel free to blend in a food processor with 1/4 cup of sugar and then add that to the mixture.

Bake well and prosper!
Lavender