Dunk & Crumble

Breads & Cakes

Flourless Chocolate Cake

by 11 Comments

I kept trying to brush it off, to try and let it right itself, but no matter: I had a day yesterday.

I woke up with two pimples (note: don’t trust unmarked beauty store lotion samples, even if they’re free.  …Especially if they’re free).  I walked into the coffee table and smashed my knee.  I cursed, loudly.  It was not yet 9am.

I took a cleansing walk down to the farmer’s market, which was nice and cleansing until I ended up just eating a bunch of cheese by the apple stall.  Like, a lot of cheese.  Fine.  Back at home, I attempted a few hours of work — I could at least be a little bit productive.

Apparently not.  Work?  How about some mindless staring at a computer screen?  Good enough?

…

Read More

Christmas Gingerbread

by 2 Comments

IMG_4084

I’m currently on an airplane, somewhere over… somewhere.  Wisconsin?  A Dakota?  I don’t know, Philadelphia to Seattle is a long flight.

I’ve got a bag brim-full of wrapped and ribboned presents tucked into the overhead bin above me, and I’m trying to ignore the fact that this airplane is chilly/bumpy/loaded with screaming children by listening to Rihanna on repeat and thinking about gingerbread.

Holiday travel!  The best of the worst things to happen every year.

Really, it’s not so bad.  We put up with the crowds and the security probing and the lines (and that moment of panic when you finally get to the front of the line at airport security and all of a sudden you are required to safely stow your ID/passport and remove your jacket/shoes/scarf/jewlery/laptop/hand lotion/spare change from your person/bag at once and wait this makes no sense, I just stood in line for thirty minutes doing nothing but it’s all happening so fast now and the people behind me are gaining ground, their shoes are already off and hurry up with that little baggie of liquids and why didn’t I wear socks and oh!  My goodness.  That moment.  Will I ever not panic on the inside at that moment?) — we put up with all of the hustle and bustle and moments of claustrophobia and panic because, at the end of the day, we know it will all lead to gingerbread.  Or roast beef or sugar cookies or lo-mein or whatever.  It leads to Christmas, with family or friends or both, however you choose to celebrate it.

I’m taking a break from my familiar movie-and-Chinese-food routine this year and celebrating with some real, live non-Jews. (!)  I know.  A crazy choice.  I’ve heard there will be a tree and a big dinner (no mention of General Tsao or his chicken) and presents and a reluctant dip (or possibly non-dip) in the freezing ocean and maybe even some carols.

And gingerbread!  Nana’s recipe.  It’s sweet and spicy and utterly lovely, its texture akin to the fluffiest, springiest layer cake.  I love that this gingerbread is heavy enough with spice to evoke the season but light enough in texture to happily follow a rich holiday meal.

Whether you’ll be eating sweet and spicy gingerbread or sweet and sour chicken on December 25th, I wish you happiness.  Fullness, inside and out, at the table and everywhere else, too.

Merry Christmas!

…

Read More

Chocolate Frosted Bundt Cake

by 7 Comments

This is not a celebration cake, strictly speaking.  I didn’t make it for anyone’s birthday, didn’t stick it through with candles or banners or sparkly sparklers (though it would look sort of adorable with the formers and latters, let’s be clear).

This is a straight up “I need chocolate cake” situation.  The sprinkles are a ruse.

Do you get this situation?  The “I need chocolate cake, preferably now and not later and also definitely with frosting” one?  I bet you do.  I mean, you’re human (you are, aren’t you?).  And let’s look at the facts: the east coast has had a rough Sandy week.  I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.  The election is tomorrow.  It is tense around here, people (by “here” I mean “America” and “in my head”).

Let’s cut that tension with a cake knife.  We’ll eat a slice, and then another, and we’ll be thankful – for warm blankets, batteries, democracy, and chocolate.  With sprinkles on top.

…

Read More

Owl Cakes

by 12 Comments

I mean…

Do I even need words for these?  How dang CUTE is he?

I could just eat him up.  Which, in fact, is exactly what I intend to do.  So.

Sorry I’m not sorry.

Here’s a checklist for owl cakes of your very own:

  1. cupcakes (from scratch or some sort of box mix, no judgement here)
  2. frosting (I will only sort of judge you if you use pre-made frosting)
  3. Oreo cookies (for owl eyes)
  4. Reese’s pieces or M&Ms (orange for beaks, brown or green or blue for eyeballs)

The little kiddos and I made these in cooking class today; they are, I think you’ll agree, a real hoot.  Happy almost-Halloween!

Baked Cinnamon Sugared Pumpkin Doughnuts

by 14 Comments

These doughnuts are baked and not fried, cinnamon-sugared and not plain, eaten and not saved.  Both dunked and crumbled.  Take the leap!  Make some doughnuts.

Other leaps worth taking, while we’re on the subject:

Write things, even if you feel silly writing them.

Get up and out of the house.  Take a walk.  Wander.  Travel somewhere far!  If you can.

Send somebody a letter.  Like, in the mail.  (The mail, mail.)  What’s better than getting a nice letter written by hand?

Talk to that guy you think is so-o-o-oo cute.  Call him maybe.

Pause for a minute.  Look around.  Ok, go.

Wear something you think you can’t pull off.  If you’re wearing it (and walking tall in those boots), you’re pulling it off.

Use real butter.  Just, please do.

Be a friend.  A real one.  Everyone needs those.

Just a few leaps to keep in mind.  Mostly reminders to put yourself out there – socially, personally, professionally.  Mentally?

Sometimes I need a little extra push, a voice that says “go!” and “YOU can do it.”  Because things don’t always work out, but sometimes they do.  When they do, you’ll be glad you wrote that letter, or wore that skirt.  And when they don’t?  Well, then we get up, dust off, move on.  And either way, there are doughnuts.

…

Read More

Nana’s Cheese Biscuits

by 9 Comments

I spent the weekend in Tennessee, near Chattanooga; it’s where Ben’s Nana grew up.  We were there to celebrate the life of this amazing Southern lady, to smile at her kindness and spirit, to cry because we’ll miss her.

When I met Nana, she was 92.  Her hands were pale and fragile, but her eyes sparkled and her smile came warm and easy.  At the sight of Ben, her face lit up like fairy lights at Christmas time; though Nana was once a Lookout Mountain cotillion queen and a sharp and witty newspaper columnist, her very favorite role was that of unconditionally doting Grandma.

Much like someone else I know (hint: me), Nana showed her love through cooking.  A cake for every birthday, a feast for every Friday, a cookie (or four) for every little thing.  A true southerner and generous in every way, her recipes weren’t complete without multiple sticks of butter, shortening, cream.  She made a habit of tall and creamy pies, fried chicken, cheese biscuits, lush layer cakes, cornbread.  Her recipe journals are rich and full of whimsy — reading them helps to fill in the gaps for me, a friend who came late into her life.  Her jaunty words help to paint a picture of the vibrant and gracious woman responsible for bringing “Elegant Sour Cream Pound Cake,” “Truly Southern Pecan Pie” and “Especially Good Corn Pudding” into the lives of all she loved.  The notes for her lime chiffon pie recipe read as follows:

“Lime Chiffon Pie is such a special favorite of my family, and even many friends.  It is so delightful on steamy summer nights to end a dinner filled with recipes renowned in the South – of vegetables, just picked from the garden.”

I knew Nana for one year of her 92 total, so it’s fair to say I missed a lot.  But I’ve made her lime chiffon pie, I’ve made her cheese biscuits and apple cake.  I’ve got her words and stories to keep me company as I sift flour, roll out dough, melt another stick of butter. And for this I feel so lucky.

…

Read More

Lemon-ish Berry Berry Muffins

by 2 Comments

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”

“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.

These are what’s happening exciting today.

Lemon-ish berry berry muffins, only faintly sweet and fortified with lemon zest, Greek yogurt, whole wheat pastry flour and (likely) the last of summer’s sweet berries.

These could be what’s happening exciting tomorrow, too!  Lemon-ish.  Breakfasty.  Berry Berry-able.  Muffinosity!

And if you wanted to make things extra exciting by bedazzling these with a simple lemon glaze, I wouldn’t be the one to stop you.  Just saying.

…

Read More

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Quick Coconut Frosting

by 3 Comments

Cupcakes!  Because we’re celebrating.

What, may you ask, is there to celebrate?  Well, a number of things, really.  With these cupcakes we are celebrating life, love, new socks, sunny Mondays, and freshly scrubbed bathroom surfaces.  But, most importantly, today we are celebrating the most deliciously wonderful parents — mine, as it were — and their 31st wedding anniversary.

Happy anniversary, parents!  Personally, I’m glad you got married.  I’m glad you’re glad you got married.  If you hadn’t, I might not exist, and then who’d bug you with phone calls at all hours and only sometimes grammatically correct emails?  Dad, who would roll their eyes at your jokes and call you Dadman and pretend not to hear you when you ask if anyone wants to go throw the ball around?  And mom, who would follow you around the house and teach you about leggings and slowly turn into you as she gets older?

Not me, that’s who.

Thank goodness you guys went through with it.

…

Read More

Rustic Peach Cake

by 2 Comments

It seems I can’t help myself.  As long as there is fresh summer fruit to be had, I’m going to go ahead and bake with it.  It’s just so gorgeous, you know?  So full of juice and sweetness!  You understand?  Gorgeous, tender, juicy little things.

…Did that sound dirty to you?

Get your head out of the gutter.  Jeez.

Instead of putting apricots in a galette or raspberries in a brownie, this time I decided to put some rustic into a peach cake.  On account of the recipe I saw in an old Cook’s Illustrated Magazine.  You guys read that rag?  Extremely thorough and excruciatingly meticulous.  A baker’s dream of a publication.  And they have peach cake!

This one uses lots of fresh peaches (obviously), and also gets some help from a bit of finely chopped dried fruit, which absorbs some fresh peach juice (leaving the dried fruit wonderfully plump and tender) and helps to keep the cake from getting all sogged up.  Very clever.  Good on you, Cook’s Illustrated.

I used dried apricots because they were easier to find than dried peaches, but, as the saying goes, I think a stone fruit is a stone fruit is a stone fruit.  Probably.

…

Read More

Brownie Berry Tart

by 10 Comments

Lots of things happening over here, people!  Firstly, my nails are painted a color called “marshmallow.”  Clearly, good things, they are happening.  There are new projects to think about, bright yellow sneakers to wear, picnics to be eaten at the beach, and cross-country flights to take for the 4th of July.  My head is excited.

So let’s celebrate and get patriotic with this thing.  What’s more American than a brownie?  I mean, besides Tim Tebow and pie and manifest destiny and stuff.  Brownies!  Maybe we’ll bake them up in a tart pan, and infuse them with fresh raspberry.  And if we pile them high with  fluffy, white whipped cream and bright red and blue berries, well, then we do our forefathers proud.  Here’s looking at you, Thomas Jefferson.

Happy Independence Day, Amurica!  I made you a brownie.  You feel like home to me.  You have your issues, but really, who doesn’t?  On the whole, I think you’re pretty wonderful.  Covered with berries and cream.

…

Read More