Salted Caramel. YUM!

I had a craving for this delicious Salted Caramel & Chocolate Cake last night - so I made it. No occasion. Just cuz.

Recipe source: Sweet Paul, Fall 2010 Issue.

It's Really Spring!

Geoff started a spring tradition last year - growing our own flowers. We started 3 weeks ago and our plants are already looking happy and healthy. I can't remember what we're growing - morning glory and something else... Regardless, it's fun watching them grow.

Happy Birthday Grace!

Spring also means birthdays galore- husband, family, friends and Diana's mum's birthday. I baked her 2 (!) carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting - her favourite. Of course, I couldn't resist baking one for keeps. The last cake came out of the oven at 8pm last night and half is already gone.

My favourite carrot cake recipe is from Canadian Living and is aptly named Canada's Best Carrot Cake. It contains crushed pineapple, which gives the cake a soft and moist texture. Added bonus, your home will smell really yummy, like carrot spice goodness!

I recommend CL's recipe to the one's I made last year (from Martha) any day. Martha's were too greasy and gave me a bit of a stomach ache. Ick.

Happy baking!

::: Nathalie

Recipe: Canadian Living - Canada's Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe: Double Chocolate Cookies

I love chocolate so naturally one of my favorite cookies are Martha Stewart's Double Chocolate Cookies. Straight out of the oven, the warm cookies ooze hot chocolate chips as you bite into them.

I prefer to eat them cooled, when the chocolate chips are solidified and the rest of the cookie is soft. I have them with a cup of hot orange pekoe tea (clear thank you), which is absolute perfection.

Variation: Instead of chunks of milk chocolate, I lazily threw in chocolate chips. And, instead of making over-sized cookies, as suggested, I made them a standard cookie size, using my OXO cookie dough scoop. I ended up with over 4 dozen cookies, perfect for sharing.

Recipe for Double Chocolate Cookies are found here.

Recipe: Maple Banana Bread with Flax

Instead of throwing out over ripe bananas, I'd rather use them in breads, muffins or smoothies. Craving something hearty and healthy, I went online and decided to try this recipe from Chatelaine.com - Maple Banana Bread with Flax.

I changed up a few things and the bread came out really well. Hearty and healthy, just like I wanted. (Even though I ended up smothering it in butter.)

This bread is great for breakfast and healthy snacking and it also freezes well so you can make it in batches - eat some now and store some for later.

Variations: Instead of the suggested whole wheat flour, I used rolled oats, which I figured would work well with the flax seeds.

Instead of the suggested vegetable oil or melter butter, use safflower oil (which is know for its health benefits).

Tip: If you have whole flax seeds, you can grind them in your coffee grinder for a fine grind.

Pink & Blue and Parisian Treats

Everything on this plate was incredibly delicious and was made from scratch by my mum, brother and myself.

Macaron ♥. My brother German made these beautiful little treats in dark chocolate ganache and buttercream fillings. I do believe they're his own recipes.

I made and decorated my own cake. This was a new recipe that I tried from Chatelaine. It's their Velvety Beet Cake with Raspberry Icing - the pink came from the fruit and not food colouring. I diverted from their raspberry icing and concocted my own. I'll share it in the near future.

Amy and German decked out in pinks and matching with the theme.

Gifts for the Grandparents

Custom tea towels - Happy Christmas family!

Instead of gifting useless things for people, Geoff and I have gotten into the habit of giving yummy treats (and of course crafts) during the holidays for relatives who already have everything.

Last year, we made a big batch of Nigella Lawson's delicious Rocky Road and gifted it in a cute glass canister from Crate & Barrel.

Picture Source: Sweet Paul Magazine

This year, we're giving out Sweet Paul's Cranberry & Maple Loafs (baked in mini loaf pans) accompanied with custom tea towels that Diana and I made and screenprinted by hand.

I think these are great gift ideas that can be used all year round for the people in our lives who have everything.

Interesting tidbit - I heard the average person was spending over $900 on Christmas this year. That's kinda crazy.

Parisian Sweets

This will be me on my 30th next month.

Picture Source

This Is An Overdue Post: Birthdays and Halloween

Mouth watering croquembouche. Recipe from House & House, November 2010.

I left out the the candied ginger the recipe calls for and they turned out very well.

It runs in the family - we love to cook, bake and eat.

My brother made these chocolate macaroons for our mum.

Instead of birthday cake, I surprised my mum with the croquembouche she was drooling over in the pages of House & Home.

Aside from burning my fingers on hot syrup, and almost having it fall apart as we added the last bits, it was well worth the effort. (Scanned recipe pages from the magazine below.)

Then for Halloween, I made Sweet Paul's Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cake.

The cake and frosting were was simple enough to make and assemble. I did though have trouble with the caramel. Afraid to burn it, I pulled it off the stove too soon and my caramel was too pale and runny. I cheated and thickened it with corn starch and gave it a deeper colour with food colouring.

The cake was probably one of the richest, moistest (is that a word?!) cakes I've ever had. Doesn't help that I'm a chocolate addict.

Recipe for Croquembouche can be found here, here and here. (Be sure to click on all 3 links.)

Recipe for Salted Caramel and Chocolate Cake can be found here.

John Galliano Macaroons

Source

My brother sent me an email the other day about "John Galliano macaroons". Before I opened the link, I was picturing macaroons dressed as Galliano, sorta like the Karl Lagerfeld teas. Can you imagine?

Cup of Fame Tea Bags

Review: Cupid's Gourmet Cupcakes

I was super excited when Diana introduced me to Cupid's Gourmet Cupcakes. This adorable shop carries fun flavours like The Princess (Vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream frosting), Pucker Up (Lemon yogurt cake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest and lemon buttercream frosting), Chai High (Chai tea buttermilk cake with chai tea cream cheese frosting) and my favorite, the Red Velvet.

What makes Cupid's so great are the recipes. The cakes are soft, moist and subtly sweet. The light creamy frostings perfectly complement their paired cakes. Bonus for those with nut allergies, Cupid's prides themselves on being nut-free.

Personally, I love that Cupid's cupcakes aren't greasy. Have you ever had a greasy cupcake? It spoils the whole experience. Just a few months ago, I ordered a red velvet cupcake from a restaurant that was so oily, it left pools of grease on my plate and hands. Not to worry, that won't happen at Cupid's.

With clean decor of white tiles and accessories, Cupid's is warm and inviting. Their Daily Flavours are beautifully displayed as soon as you walk in. The open back area gives you a peak at the busy bakers in the kitchen working on orders for showers and special occasions.

As mentioned, Cupid's rotates flavours. Check out their website for the schedule. Full Cupcakes are priced at $2.50 each, $12.90 for half a dozen and $24.96 for a dozen. Mini cupcakes are priced at $1.15 each, $6.50 for half a dozen and $12.90 for a dozen.

Make sure you go early because they typically sell out well before days end. The shop is open Tues - Fri 10am - 7pm, Sat 10am - 6pm, Sun 11am - 5pm and is closed Mondays. Be sure to stop by, these cakes are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

::: Nathalie

Review: The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Since Hummingbird bakery is supposed to be all the rage in London, England, I was really excited to get my own copy of their cookbook in my last Amazon order.

I bought Nielsen-Massey's Finest Quality Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste from William Sonoma for $16 (CAD) to bake. Logically speaking, supreme vanilla should result in supreme vanilla cupcakes. Sounds like a safe bet.

Recipe Review: Hummingbird Bakery, Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

• When preparing the ingredients, I was surprised to see how little sugar, butter and vanilla this recipe used. (In fact, a lot of the recipes in this book use very little sugar and butter.)

• I followed the directions carefully and added ingredients and mixed as per the book.

• I prepared 12 cupcake liners in my tray and started scooping the cups two-thirds full as directed.

• Hmm... Did a double take at the book since I only got 8 cups going. Weird. The recipe says "Makes 12".

• Moving along, I popped them in the oven and waited. Took them out and was surprised to see how pale my cakes looked. Hmm....

• As the cupcakes cooled, I prepared the icing.

• Having sampled some batter and icing along the way, I knew they were on the bland side but I really thought all of the flavours would come together nicely when the cupcake was complete.

• TASTE TEST VERDICT: Disappointing. Bland cake. Thick sponge consistency. Tasted very floury. Bland icing. Consensus: bland and boring. My worst cakes to date (yes, that includes my Duncan Hines Cake Fails).

My review on The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook:

• Delicious looking, beautiful, inspirational pictures.
• Beautifully laid out chapters.
• Recipes: BORING. Terrible. Waste of time, money and good ingredients.
• If the goodies in the actual Hummingbird Bakeries taste anything like what's in this book, I would be shocked.
• Buy Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book instead. (Martha hasn't failed me once.)

And in case you're still a glutton for punishment and are curious about the above recipe, I'm going to take the time to type this out for you from the book.

UPDATE 3/14/2011: See reader comments regarding their experience with this cookbook here.

::: Nathalie

HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY'S VANILLA CUPCAKES

Makes 12

FOR THE CUPCAKES

1 cup all purpose flour

a scant 3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

3 tbsps of unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

8 tablespoons ice water

FOR THE FROSTING

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

5 tbsps unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tbsps whole milk

a couple drops of pure vanilla extract

CUPCAKES DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Line cupcake tray with paper cups.

2. Put flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a bowl. Mix and beat at slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is well combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat well.

3. Whisk egg, vanilla and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into flour mixture and beat well, scraping bowl along the way. Do not over mix.

4. Spoon batter into cupcake tray, two-thirds full and bake for about 20 - 25 mins or until golden brown. Insert tooth pick in the middle of a cake and make sure it comes out clean before removing from oven. Place on a cooling rack.

VANILLA FROSTING DIRECTIONS

1. While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Beat icing sugar and butter together in mixer at low speed. Combine milk and vanilla in a separate bowl then add to butter mixture, a few spoons at a time. Mix well until light and fluffy, about 5 mins. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier it becomes. Frost completely-cooled cupcakes with frosting.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Since I had so many spare apples lying around, I thought I'd try Michael Smith's Old Fashioned Apple Pie. My mum and I both shared a hand in making this pie. The results were DELICIOUS. It's a simple pie recipe for a very homey OLD style of pie (hence the name). My brother commented that the crust could be a little more pastry-like, but I thought it was just perfect. Very unpretentious.

Tip: Use all 8 apples (I used 6). While some crusts can be thin, get soggy and crumble under pressure, this crust really holds it's own really well.

(PS - This recipe comes from Michael's book, The Best of Chef at Home. I've given this book as a gift for two individuals, but don't actually own it myself. The copy currently in my house belongs to the Oakville Public Library. Anyhow, love, love, love this book. It's packed with simple, healthy, non intimidating recipes that are perfect for weeknight dinners and most importantly, every recipe has a picture. I don't know about you, but I like to know what my dish should look like before I start cooking!)

::: Nathalie

OLD FASHIONED APPLE PIE

Makes 8 slices

FOR THE PASTRY

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) of frozen butter

8 tablespoons ice water

FOR THE FILLING

6-8 Honey Crisp or 12 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons flour

PASTRY DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk the flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Using a standard box or potato grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour and toss lightly with your fingers until it is thoroughly combined. Sprinkle in ice water and mix with your fingers until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide it into two pieces, making sure one half is slightly larger than the other. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten and chill for at least 30 minutes or even overnight. Resting will help tenderize the pastry and make it easier to roll.

2. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and allow it to warm slightly, just until it is pliable. Lightly flour your hands, the rolling pin, your work surface and the dough. Roll out the larger pastry disc into a circle large enough to slightly overlap the edges of an 8-inch glass pie dish. Transfer the dough to the pie dish by folding it into quarters then unfolding it in the dish.

3. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

FILLING DIRECTIONS AND COOKING

1. Toss the apples with the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Add the apples to the bottom crust then roll out the remaining smaller disc and carefully place over the top of the pie. Roll and crimp the edges of the dough together, tightly sealing them. Poke a few vent holes into the top of the pie and place on the bottom rack of oven. Bake for 1 hour, until the crust is golden and juices are bubbling.

Happy Easter Carrot Cupcakes!

A holiday and the fabulous spring weather meant I had to try a new cupcake recipe - Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. Everyone who was treated to these was very pleased and even took a second helping!

I left out the raisins in order to give it a fluffier cupcake consistency. I also substituted the regular cream cheese for the light variety seeing as it's generous on the vegetable oil.

Next time I make these, I'll opt for 1 cup of vegetable oil instead of the recommended 1 1/2 cup. It just felt like too much. If you're confident modifying recipes, give it a try with the 1 cup and let me know how they turn out.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter!

:::: Nathalie

Carrot Cupcake Ingredients

Makes 24 cupcakes

• FOR THE CUPCAKES
• 1 pound carrots, finely grated
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• FOR THE FROSTING
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla-bean seeds, and raisins. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir flour mixture into carrot mixture until well combined.
2. Divide batter among liners, filling 3/4 full. Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 23 to 28 minutes, rotating tins halfway through. Transfer tins to racks to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from tins; let cool completely.
3. Make frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar. Continue to beat while adding remaining sugar 1/4 cup at a time. Add vanilla, and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Picture Blog: Aprons, Bracelets, Cake Fail and Diana

Busy weekend with 2 birthdays for the in-laws, hosting Sunday lunch at our house, baking, and making aprons and bracelets. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

My niece Mackenzie with her Moomin apron. I made it for her 6th birthday. That's me trying to hide behind her.

An array of new bracelets coming soon to The Lime Shop.

Diana modeling some of her favorite picks.

Cake Fail! I cut corners and bought Duncan Hines cake mix and frosting. It was the worst cake I've ever had to work with. Crumbs galore and it was on the brink on falling apart. Yes, those are Reese's Peanut Butter Cups heaped on top.

More cake fail. Cupcakes were also Duncan Hines. They didn't rise well and were kinda greasy. They tasted decent though.

Diana making faces.

The End

::: Nathalie

Sunday Afternoon

I was a very busy girl this afternoon, baking and eating cheese. Lunch consisted of a lovely cheese platter served with beer. I got the cheeses from Cheese Magic in Kensington Market the day before. (Can't wait to go back next weekend.)

Soon after, I was baking cinnamon scrolls from Cookies, Muffins + Cakes. Yum!

::: Nathalie