Chocolate Avocado Pie

You might be hesitant to embrace the idea of Avocado Pie. After all, avocado is probably more famous for its starring role in guacamole, or as a sandwich or salad component than as a delicious dessert item. But avocado isn't unknown in the world of sweets: in fact, in several Asian countries (and in Brazil too, I hear) avocado shakes are quite popular.

Like the popular shake, the avocado in this pie gets its sugary boost from sweetened condensed milk. When pureed and mixed with the milk, the fruity side of avocado really comes out to play with your taste buds. And once you get past the vibrant Kermit color, it's got a nutty and surprisingly subtle flavor. Combined with chocolate, it gets even better—sweet, light yet satisfyingly rich, with a dark crunch from the chocolate chips and cookie crust. Though adding the chocolate morsels is optional, I find them to add a nice textural contrast to the creaminess of the avocado, and serve as a nice echo to the cookie crust.

While the unique flavor of this pie might not be for everyone, lovers of avocado would serve themselves well to give it a try.

Find the recipe with pictures on Serious Eats!

Vegan Chocolate Cookies Recipe from Macrina Bakery

My favorite thing about vegan baked goods is that even as a non-vegan, I CAN STILL EAT THEM.

And one that I enjoy eating is the vegan chocolate chocolate cookies at Macrina Bakery in Seattle. And--YES!--they are the "recipe of the month" which is now available to the public. Here's what Macrina has to say about them:

"This cookie was developed for a favorite teacher of one of our daughters here at Macrina. She would often request Olivia's Chocolate Chip cookies for her class but discovered her teacher couldn't eat them. I went to work on a vegan version so the cookies could be enjoyed by all! We test marketed it in our cafes with customers and they loved them, so we now offer them baked fresh daily!"

Here's the recipe:

Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

Makes 20 3-inch cookies 

• 2-1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp egg replacement powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2-1/2 C bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 C (1 stick) vegan butter (preferably Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks) at room temperature
• 1/3 C palm shortening, at room temperature
• 3/4 C light brown vegan sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 C water

1. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, egg replacement and salt in a medium bowl. Add the chocolate chip and mix well to combine. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla. Start on low speed and increase to medium for a total of 5 to 8 minutes. The mixture will be fluffy and very pale. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the water. Stop halfway and scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Be careful not to over mix: the cookies may become tough. If the dry ingredients aren't fully incorporated, mix them in with the spatula. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. At this point the dough can be formed into cookies or stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This dough also freezes well for up to three weeks.

3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 35o° F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

4. Let the cookie dough warm at room temperature for 20 minutes to make portioning easier. Scoop the dough from the bowl with a large spoon or #30 ice cream scoop and form into 1-3/4 inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, flattening them to 1/2 inch thickness while maintaining the circle shape. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. (These cookies don't spread much, so they'll look a little different than standard chocolate chip cookies.) Cool them on a wire rack for 20 minutes before serving. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Taste the Rainbow: Kaleidoscope Cupcakes

Sometimes, things don't work out quite as you'd like. This happened recently when I set out to make some polka dot cupcakes based on an idea that I'd seen on the internet.

I prepared the batter, reserving about 3/4 cup before filling the cupcakes liners halfway. I tinted the remaining batter and used it to pipe pretty polka dots over the filled cups, hoping that they would bake into spotted masterpieces.

The cakes baked up beautifully, with perfectly shaped domes—which, unfortunately, ruined the polka dots. But all was not lost. While my cakes didn't bake with perfect polka dots, I ended up with a pretty, kaleidoscope-like multicolored starburst pattern which was rather sweet and elicited morale-boosting "ooh" and "ahh" sounds when served. Ultimately, they turned out so well that I decided to put the frosting in the middle, sandwich-style, rather than sully the artistic tops. Here's the simple recipe which is bound to delight in a most delicious way. 

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

P.S. Like the pictures in this post? I took them on my Xyboard tablet, part of the Midwest Savvy Gourmets program from Verizon!  Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Gourmets program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Sweet Summer: Watermelon Pudding Served in a Watermelon Shell

So, in case you didn't know it, I am part of the Verizon Wireless Savvy Gourmets group. And as part of this group, we occasionally have the chance to take part in challenges or are privy to special offers from Verizon. Booyeah! And this time, our mission, should we choose to accept, was to create a creative post about a favorite summer food, using photos taken on the Xyboard device.

Well, that sounded like a fun enough challenge.

So first, I thought about my favorite summer foods, and one that came to mind was watermelon. But since this is a cake and dessert blog, how could I make it relevant? So I hit the Epicurious application on the Xyboard (I love this because unlike a laptop, the tablet is a little more kitchen-friendly) and did a search for watermelon desserts. One that caught my eye right away was Watermelon Pudding. How refreshing does that sound? And based on the recipe, it seemed easy, too. SCORE!

And to make it even better and cuter, I decided to save the watermelon shell to use as a serving dish! Now how freaking cute is that? 

But here's where I need your help. If you think this is painfully adorable (and really, it is), could you please leave a comment on this post? Because the post with the most comments is eligible for a $250 prize. And I really feel like I'd like to use this money to go visit my little sister in San Francisco (and write about the bakeries I visit there, NATCH!).

Here's how I adapted the recipe I found to make the cute dish you see. 

And before I post the recipe, let me say this disclosure-ly stuff: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Gourmets program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Watermelon Pudding Served in a Watermelon Shell

Serves 4

For the pudding

• 3 cups coarsely chopped seeded watermelon (about half of a small watermelon)
• 1/3 cup cornstarch 
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

For the whipped cream topping

• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• red food coloring

Procedure

1. Slice your watermelon in half; scoop out the watermelon from one half (it should be enough). Reserve the hollowed-out half, as this will be your serving dish. Eat the other half in slices, with friends.
2. Purée watermelon in a blender until smooth, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan, pressing on pulp and then discarding any remaining solids.
3. Ladle about 1/4 cup watermelon juice into a small bowl and stir in cornstarch until smooth.
4. Bring remaining watermelon juice and cream to a boil with the sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
5. Stir cornstarch mixture again, then whisk into boiling liquid.
6. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Whisk in lemon juice.
7. Pour pudding through cleaned sieve into a bowl, then transfer to your empty watermelon shell. Let cool for 30 minutes, until cold. Cover loosely and chill until set, at least 3 hours.
8. Just before serving, beat cream with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Stir in a drop or two of food coloring last, stirring only until incorporated. Top the pudding with the pink whipped cream, and scatter with mini chocolate chips to bring the watermelon theme home.  Enjoy chilled; this pudding will keep for 1 day in the fridge. 

Sweet to Eat: Stracciatella Truffle-Stuffed Cookies Recipe

Now that I've got your attention, let me tell you about something I made.

Recently, Lindt sent me a bunch of samples of their products. White chocolate and stracciatella truffles, in particular. Cool. I like their little Lindt Balls. OK, the technical name is "Lindor Truffles", but I kind of like my name better. But to clarify, even though my chosen name of Lindt Balls sounds like "lint balls", the chocolate variety is much more delicious. Trust me. 

I think Lindt wanted to see what I'd bake up with their treats, or possibly do a review on my site. Well, I don't need to review because I already know I love to stuff my face with these little morsels. Proof:

But as for baking with them--after eating several of them straight from the wrapper, I thought "I have an idea". I happened to have on hand a fairly dense cookie dough which I was using to make Hamantashen, and I thought "I wonder what would happen if I stuffed these truffles in that dough?". 

So I cut out some dough rounds and wrapped them around the chocolate balls. I tried to seal them off, but it seemed like a little white chocolate seeped out of most of them.

In general, though, they all retained enough white chocolate to give the cookies a highly delicious flavor. The cookie dough was fairly dry, but the baby-chocolate chip studded white chocolate centers were moist, and they are seriously an ideal cookie to pair with milk.

Go ahead and try them -- I'd be willing to bet that you and your friends will do some serious damage to the batch.

Stracciatella Truffle Stuffed Cookies

Makes 18 or so

• 3 cups  flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 24 white chocolate or Stracciatella Lindor truffles (why do you need 24 for a recipe that makes 18? Well, you might get hungry while baking!!)

Procedure

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Set to the side.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl with each addition. It's gonna look kind of curdled. Don't panic.
3. Add the dough a little at a time, mixing on low.
4. Press the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for an hour or so.
5. Near the end of the cooling period, line 2 sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
6. On a well floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. You don't need to be too fussy about this though.
7. Cut out 3 1/2 inch circles using a cookie cutter or the floured rim of a glass. Gather scraps and re-roll as needed.
8. Place a truffle in the center of each cutout, and gather the dough around it and press it together on top, sort of like a hershey's kiss shape. Try to ensure no holes or openings (this will minimize filling dripping out).
9. Place the filled dough balls on the prepared sheet, leaving 1.5 inches or so around each cookie.
10. Bake on a well-greased cookie sheet or on parchment paper for 12-15 minutes. 
11. Let cool on the sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Talk about things that will make you hum a happy tune: how about this moist banana spice cake, more sophisticated and delicious than any banana bread could hope to be, covered with swaths of cream cheese frosting ? Having trouble picturing it? An enlightened baker introduced me to the cake as being “like carrot cake, but with bananas.” While it's not quite that exact, it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Proof that cake loves banana!

The name hummingbird cake is a relatively recent phenomenon; the first known recipe published with this title is from the 1970s, when it appeared in Southern Living magazine. This doesn't imply that the cake was created out of the blue in the '70s; it's more likely that the recipe had been kicking around the South for years, but that it went under various names.

And it's still the South where this sweet reigns supreme; hummingbird cake is most commonly found below the Mason-Dixon line, or on the menus of restaurants specializing in Southern cuisine. While it's still less known than its famous layer-cake cousins the carrot cake and red velvet cake, it's certainly gaining popularity in bakeries and cupcake shops all around the United States.

The cake came to the South from even further south--Jamaica, in fact, where a similar cake, made with earthy spices and flavorsome native bananas proliferates[diff word? Proliferate means to reproduce or multiply]. There, it's called Doctor Bird Cake, after a particularly rare type of swallow-tailed hummingbird. As the recipe immigrated north, it was sometimes referred to as “Jamaican Cake,” but especially following the aforementioned Southern Living feature, became far more popular as “Hummingbird Cake”. 

Regardless of whether you want to call it Doctor Bird or Hummingbird, why name this cake after a bird at all? Personally, I find an anecdotal reason most pleasing. The gist? Bake this cake in a house full of people, and see what happens while you bake it, while you frost it, and especially when you serve it. Chances are, a crowd will descend upon the cake, not unlike hummingbirds drawn to sweet nectar.

When baking this recipe, take care to not overmix the batter. Like banana bread, you want to handle it as gently as possible. Additionally, you want your bananas to be very ripe--the tastiest cakes come from bananas that are well past their ideal eating-from-hand stage. If they look brown and almost to the point where you'd want to throw them out, they're at the perfect point to be baked into this cake. And if you're feeling especially festive, substitute Jamaican rum for the vanilla. It's very, very nice.

Hummingbird Cake

Makes one 3-layer 9-inch cake

For the cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 oz canned crushed pineapple, drained well
• 1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans, plus 1/2 cup toasted pecan halves, for garnish
• 2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium) 

For the frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces (1 cup) cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Chopped pecans, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three round 9-inch cake pans.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together several times. Put into a large bowl and set aside.
3. Add the eggs and oil to the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are evenly moistened. Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, and the pecans. Add the bananas and stir just until combined. The batter will be very thick.
4. Divide the batter equally between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a small knife around the pan, loosening the edges of the cakes. Turn out onto a cooling rack, and let the cakes cool completely before frosting. 
5. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Beat at medium-high speed until the mixture has a very smooth consistency; pause occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. 
6. Place one cake layer, flat side up, on a serving plate; spread 3/4 cup of frosting on top. Leave a half-inch margin all around, as the weight of the second cake layer will push the frosting to the edges. Repeat with the second layer. Place the third cake layer, flat side up, on top of the frosted layers. Frost the sides and then the top; garnish by sprinkling more chopped pecans around the top edges of the cake.  
7. Serve at room temperature. Because the cream cheese frosting is sensitive to heat, store lightly covered in the refrigerator for up to three days; let come to room temperature before serving.

Happy Birthday to Me: My Birthday Cake Recipe this Year

When you think about it, birthday cake is kind of a funny thing: what other dessert do we put candles on, sing to, spit at as we try to blow out the candles, then watch as crowds clamor for a piece?

Yet in spite of the fact that it is a sharing food, birthday cake can also be a very personal thing, with the flavor really being up to the birthday person. It's an opportunity to celebrate another year going by with the cake you choose, be it strawberry shortcake, double chocolate cake, or even store-bought Funfetti.

Here's the classic I chose for my late August birthday this year: a fluffy golden yellow cake topped with a crowning glory of rich, stick-to-your-teeth fudge frosting. The contrast of light cake and thick frosting is simply beyond compare—a taste and texture combination which is guaranteed to take you back to the glee of the birthday parties of yesteryear, if only for a few bites.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Chocolate Covered Cake on a Stick

Cake is good, but it can be great—all you have to do is put it on a stick and cover it in chocolate. I formulated this theory following my first taste of "The Swingle", a slice of chocolate covered Key Lime pie on a stick, made by Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. I found myself wondering, what dessert wouldn't taste great covered in chocolate and put on a stick?

Instead of coming up with an answer (because really, that was a rhetorical question) why not set up a double boiler and set yourself to melting some chocolate? Since I was feeling fancy, I used slices of Dobos Torte, but really, any type of cake would work. See for yourself how enrobing a cake slice in chocolate brings it to indulgent new heights, and yet how eating it off of a stick somehow keeps the experience playful.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Raising the Bar: Apple Walnut Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Source: pastrymama.com via Cake on Pinterest

What on earth do you do when you unexpectedly find yourself with a spare box of Betty Crocker Spice Cake Mix?

If anyone even thought "mix and bake as-is", you're officially banned from this website. Because a quick peek into The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! reveals a far more appetizing concept: Applesauce Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. Apparently, this is remnicient of a regional southern store-bought cake that enjoyed popularity at A&P stores called "Spanish Bar Cake", a dense spice cake studded with raisins and nuts and topped with delicious cream cheese frosting. Well, my version is doctored a bit more--with finely chopped apples instead of applesauce, no raisins (ew) and even fattier frosting than the one in the book, and I assure you, they're a delightful autumn treat. I don't have a picture but they are similar in appearance to this gorgeous specimen by PastryMama, pictured above (she's got a great recipe too!).

Perfect for breakfast.

Apple Walnut Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

For the bars

parchment paper, to line pans

• 1 package plain spice cake mix
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 apples, very finely chopped (I used Granny Smith, with the skin on)
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese (I used full-fat, original recipe calls for light...whatever)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, for garnish/topping (optional)

Procedure

1. Make the bars. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Put the pan aside.
2. Place the cake mix, brown sugar, spices, chopped apples, butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth, about 1 minute longer. Fold in the finely chopped walnuts. Transfer the batter to prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
3. Place the pan in the oven and bake the bars until the edges have set and the center is still a little soft (press it lightly with a finger), 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 35 minutes.
4. Make the frosting. Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, 1 minute. Stop the machine and add the milk, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Continue beating on low until the ingredients come together. Increase the mixer speed to medium low and beat until the frosting is creamy and light, 30 seconds longer. Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake. Run the tines of a fork through the frosting to make squiggles, or garnish with coarsely chopped walnuts. Let the frosting set for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
5. Storage suggestion: store the bars, covered withfoil, in the fridge for up to one week--or, freeze the bars in the pan, covered with foil, for up to three months. Let bars thaw overnight before serving.

Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins Recipe

Frequently, when publicists send me recipes, I just delete them. I am not trying to be a jerk, but a lot of them are kind of boring. And sometimes, even without trying, I am kind of a jerk.

But I didn't delete this one, so that is saying a lot. After all, even though it's technically for muffins, they are veering deliciously close to cake territory what with their raisinets (AKA: acceptable raisins) and glaze topping. Well, you know how I feel about glaze, so why not triple the recipe? I bet they'd be even better with buttercream frosting, though. 

These aren't your ordinary muffins. What sets these apart are the addition of smooth buttermilk, the fresh juice and peel of oranges and chocolate covered raisins all topped with a citrus glaze. Pop one in a work or school lunchbox for an unexpected treat!

Citrus Buttermilk Raisinets Muffins

12 muffins for your time.

• Nonstick cooking spray or paper baking liners
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup NESTLÉ RAISINETS Dark or Milk Chocolate-Covered Raisins

ORANGE GLAZE

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Procedure

1. FOR MUFFINS: PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. COMBINE granulated sugar and orange peel in small bowl. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Whisk together flour, orange sugar mixture, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract in medium bowl until well blended. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Pour liquid mixture into the well; gently stir until combined. Fold in Raisinets. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. BAKE for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in muffins comes out clean. While the muffins are baking, make the orange glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they are still warm. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
4. FOR ORANGE GLAZE: COMBINE orange juice, powdered sugar and orange peel in a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, adding more juice if necessary until desired consistency.