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!

Soft Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Yesterday morning I felt like I was on a different planet while at the local chain grocery store. No one knew what I meant when I asked where the malted milk was. I even had a lady comment, "You're not from here, are you?"

 

Malted milk! It's not that exotic. I had to explain how it's the powder they use in an ice cream malt and also that it can be found in the middle of malted milk balls (like Whoopers.) Unfortunately, that grocery store didn't carry it. Thankfully, a store near where I sing did carry malted milk.

 

I am SO thankful that it did carry it. These cookies are amazing! They are so soft, so chock full of chocolate chips, and contain a hint of the malt flavor. If you're looking for a different way to make chocolate chip cookies, look no further!

Soft Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe found at Cookies and Cups (great insider tips and step by step info)

Bake well and prosper!

Matcha Tea Cakes

No. You aren't seeing things. That IS green. It comes from matcha powder which is finely ground green tea. (So it's full of antioxidants and caffeine!)

I've recently been enjoying drinking matcha in Organic Avenue's Matcha Chia Glo. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I went to a paint your own pottery place and painted this:

Yes. Thank you. I'm very proud with how it turned out. To me it seemed to beg for some type of green dessert and I automatically thought about green tea.

I decided to top this cake in two different ways. First I made a light matcha frosting.

It wasn't green enough for me so I decided to sprinkle the powder on top of the cakes.

Definitely green enough! Almost Wicked Witch of the West green. :)

 

I brought these into work to share with coworkers. When I saw we had some sliced almonds in the office, I added some "flare" to the glazed cake and quickly snapped a photo with my iPhone.

Both versions are great but I think I enjoy the frosted version a tiny bit better because it's sweeter. Either way, the mixture of almond milk with matcha makes for a yummy afternoon treat. So, what do you think? Would you consider baking with this green powder?

Matcha Tea Cakes (adapted from my Mom's Best Recipes Book)

Ingredients for Sponge Cake:

2 eggs

1 C sugar

1/2 C almond milk

1 T butter

1 C flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

2 teaspoons matcha powder

Ingredients for Frosting (if you decide to frost the cakes):

almond milk (at least 4 ounces)

powdered sugar (at least 2 cups)

matcha powder (at least 4 Tablespoons)

 

Or just dust matcha powder on top of cakes.

Cake:

In a small saucepan, scald almond milk, turn off heat and add butter. In a mixer, beat eggs until light, add sugar and beat well. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the matcha powder. Stir in almond milk mixture. Bake in greased pan (8x8 inches) for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool well. Cut in narrow bars.

Frosting:

Frost sides and bottom with frosting made by mixing a little bit of powdered sugar and a little bit of thin almond milk at a time.  Add slivered almonds (or even roll in slivered almonds) if desired and enjoy.

Bake well and prosper!

Cornmeal Cookies with a Dark Chocolate Center

Hi dear readers! My urges to bake have been diminished this year. I have a feeling that my normal one post a week might change to two posts a month for the year. I hope you'll forgive me.

 

My urges to enjoy NYC haven't been diminished though. I thoroughly enjoyed finding eggs "hidden" around the city as part of the Faberge Big Egg Hunt. Over the course of a couple of weeks, people could find these fun works of art around the city. Then, for the last week, they were all at Rockefeller Center. Here are some of the ones that tickled my fancy:



 

 

 

Then, this past weekend I left my beloved NYC and headed to Boston for a singing gig. On my day off, I went on a Freedom Trail tour and tried to learn a little bit more about the American Revolution.

On Sat I sang the mezzo solo in Duruflé's Requiem in Worcester, MA.

It was a lovely experience but I was happy to be back in NYC. So happy that I felt like baking! So I made up this recipe.

 

These cookies are rather flat, but the texture is perfect. It's a crepe-like cookie and the sweetness of the sugar blends together well with the cornmeal. The dark chocolate is just something I added for a dollop of yuminess.

Cornmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate Center (my recipe creation)

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons cornmeal

small dark chocolate bar, broken into pieces

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix the butter and sugar together. Mix in the egg. Blend in the flour and cornmeal. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Place a piece of dark chocolate in the middle of each ball of dough. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool before enjoying.

Bake well and prosper!

Dark Chocolate Ganache Crepe Cake

This cake was so yummy that I really don't have much else to say about it.

Ok. Ok. I'm kidding. I can say tons about it! First, it was quite a process to put together. I ended up having tons of help making it though since I was visiting family at the time. 

This was my assembly line. Quite a mess (so it came out a success!)

 

The robust dark chocolate was slightly mellowed when added to heavy whipping cream. That ganache nicely complemented the eggy crepes. Altogether, there wasn't one complaint about this cake from the many taste-testers.

 

I can't wait to make it again. (I might do a mini-version in the future.)

 

PS Check out my tips on how to make it in less time.

Chocolate Ganache Crepe Cake (found on Completely Delicious)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter

3 cups (710 ml) whole milk

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (75 grams) sugar

Pinch of salt

 

For the whipped ganache:

10 ounces (285 grams) dark chocolate, broken into pieces

2 cups (475 ml) heavy cream

 

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Break the dark chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heated heavy cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth and chill in fridge until ready to use.

 

2.Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Continue to cook, while stirring occasionally, until browned. Set aside and let cool slightly.

 

3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in another saucepan until steaming and small bubbles appear at the edges. Set aside and let cool slightly.

 

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or with a hand-held mixer, mix the eggs, flour, sugar, and salt until combined. While mixing on low speed, add the butter and milk slowly until incorporated.

 

5. Heat a 9-inch skillet over medium heat and grease with a small amount of butter. Add approximately 1/3 cup of batter to the skillet and swirl to coat the pan evenly. Cook for a few minutes until edges begin to brown. Flip and cook for an additional minute. (Erika's Extras: I found it easiest to shake the pan a little and then flip in air, but feel free to use a spatula to turn it.) Repeat until the batter is gone, stacking crepes and letting them cool to room temperature.

 

6. Take ganache out of fridge and whip until there are some peaks.

 

7. To make the cake, layer the crepes with a thin coating of chocolate ganache. Garnish cake with powdered sugar or cocoa, if desired, and let chill for a little bit before serving.

Bake well and prosper!