STEMS & FORKS

Beautiful musings of flora and fare.

Cakes

Orange Cardamom Cake with Blackberry Curd

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Its that time of year. Winter is coming, for those in the north. Being Canadian, I can completely relate to House Stark of Game of Thrones. We Canadians often joke that we have two seasons. Winter and Summer. Here, at least in the Greater Toronto Area, winter unofficially starts around Remembrance Day (mid November) and can easily continue well into April. Each year around April, without any gentle segway, a blast of beautiful mild weather emerges from our long cold winters. A sort of tortuous teaser that lasts about two days. Then without any warning, a massive deposit of snow. So when autumn rolls in, we embrace and covet the short time she is here. 

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Speculoos and Chocolate Mousse Tart

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I went about 5 months without speculoos cookies (spice cookies from Belgium) And i was felt lost and unstable without them. I searched online but with little success in Canada. I did try baking some myself from a recipe online but it really just tasted like cinnamon snaps (if anyone has a great speculoos recipe…please PLEASE share!) So of course when my mother in law asked if I needed anything from Belgium before coming to visit, I asked for a modest 5 kilos of speculoos cookies. Needless to say her eyeballs almost popped out over Skype. But she delivered…an entire carry on of speculoos. Yes she can be very useful…sometimes.

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Chocolate Ricotta Cake with Mascarpone Mocha Buttercream

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Since I started blogging, the friendships I’ve made with other fellow food bloggers and stylists has been incredible to say the least. 

Recently fellow instagrammer @rodica_godlewski and I organized a food styling gathering at my home with fellow food stylists M.Aimee from @milkofthykindness and Sarah from @sarah.boileau. We were 4 complete strangers…well strangers that conversed for several months prior to our meeting on Instagram but had never seen each other in the flesh or spoken to each other. It was so lovely to finally put a face larger than a blueberry and a voice to their names. To finally shed cyber palling two dimensionally and begin a real friendship in the flesh was incredible. The ideas and inspiration we shared with each other not to mention the great laughs was epic in porportions. 

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Strawberry and Carrot Cake

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I realize I’m so behind blogging. I remember making this cake for fathers day which was easily over a month ago. We had a BBQ at our house and so asked my dad and hubs what they wanted for dessert. Dad asked for something with strawberries seeing as the season started and Pierre asked for carrot cake. Thus the marriage of the two. I prepared it not thinking very much about posting it as a blog. However realized I had too after posting a pic on Instagram and getting a barrage of requests to post the recipe. 

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Fig and Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

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For the longest time I thought figs were a small, beige, chewy and slightly sticky giant raisin in the shape of a puck. I had no idea they were a plump mildly sweet aromatic blob shaped like Michelangelo’s centrepiece on David. Until at the embarrassing age of 16 when i was at a friends home and noticed the parents platter of fruits and cheese. Or rather what I thought at the time as a mini pear infested with maggots.

Well I’ve since grown. And fresh figs for me far out weigh beauty and taste than dried figs.  

Fresh figs back in the 70’s and 80’s were limited and scarce here in Toronto. I don’t think I can say I ever saw fresh figs before the 90’s in a grocery store. Mother would buy several packs of dry figs which cost 99 Cents a dozen at each grocery store visit. It was our go to snack. Instead of chewing on fig newtons like other normal kids,  I remember my sisters and eating heaps of dried figs while romping around in the playground in the hot summer sun. A dozen each to be exact. And it would last the entire playground duration as we’d be chewing the sweet figs like chewing tobacco. 

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Flourless Almond Cake with Blood Orange Curd and Mascarpone Icing

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It’s been a while since I’ve written anything here. I have many excuses but none that are extraordinary . I’m one of those kinda gals that needs deadlines and booked appointments. Otherwise things don’t get done. In this case, my deadline was that blood oranges are tapering off and will soon come to an end if it hasn’t already. If you’re planning on baking this post blood orange season, just sub in regular oranges. 

I’m not sure who to give credit for this recipe. It’s a culmination of various almond cake recipes, tips and advice I received over the past few months since I seriously started my baking journey. The first time I baked this cake I was cursing and swearing in English, French and Korean. It kept sinking in the centre. What was I doing wrong? Just as I was with pie crust, I became obsessed and was fully determined not to be defeated. After a bit of research online and discussion, I realized that I was using the wrong size tin, and not enough egg whites. 

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Lemon Cheesecake Speculoos Tart

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Speculoos are crunchy, spicy, tanned biscuits which I think are originally from the Netherlands. One sees it everywhere in Belgium especially around Christmas. There’s even high-end fancy boutiques that only sell Speculoos (Speculaas in Dutch) stamped with the iconic image of Saint Nicholas. 

Being married to a Belgian, we often spend our holidays there with the in-laws. During these trips, we normally stock up on about half a year’s supply of Belgian goods, such as their sauces like Frikot, Americain and of course speculoos biscuits. Our last trip was to Knokke last summer. A beach town north of Belgium, full of Dutch vacationers all garbed in either Lacoste or Polo under white umbrellas sipping Veuve while their kids build sand castles. I suppose I can blame running out of Speculoos on Knokke. We were too busy making our own sand castles and sipping on Veuve as well, that we hardly had time to stock pile on my daughter’s beloved crunchy biscuit. 

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Upside-Down Chocolate Plum Cake

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Everyday I’m inundated with images and news stories about women’s rights violations, racial discrimination, totalitarianism, hate crimes and the degradation of civil liberties that has befallen on our neighbours to the south. My heart pounds most days with thunderous anger and empathy for those countless marginalized groups and individuals that have become victimized in America. How did a world-leading civilized nation end up on such a slippery slope of unraveling decades of progress in basic human rights?

Until recently, I felt proud of Canada more than ever. I believed that for the most part, Canadians were all about celebrating differences and diversity. I almost felt smug, thinking that we were immune to the atrocities happening in America.

I’m of Korean ethnicity but have been a Canadian citizen since I was an infant. I simultaneously feel connected to being both Canadian and Korean on a racial and cultural level. I don’t think about being “more Canadian” or “more Korean.” Nor is it something that’s discussed amongst my friends or peers. Rarely do I question my nationality or if I’m visibly different from other humans surrounding me. I’m a human being, period. And those around me are human beings too. However, every now and then, I’m reminded that not everyone shares this view. There are still the token few even in our great country of Canada who’s ignorance is blaring.

I had an encounter recently (which was not anywhere near the intensity of some of the horror stories out there), but it was a snapshot of some of the ignorance that lies quietly amongst us.

Last week I headed to my local grocer to pick up the black plums I needed for this recipe. They always have hand-picked fresh and rare fruits and vegetables. Like Buddha’s hand lemon or blood oranges and heirloom carrots. As I selected my black plums, a lady came up to me and asked me if we carried any milk. I can see why she thought I worked there. I’m Korean and the shop was owned by a Chinese family so she probably made a quick assumption that I worked there. 

“No. There’s no milk here. But there’s a Shoppers Drug Mart about 10 shops north of here. And if I’m not mistaken…the milk is on the main floor towards the back.”

I didn’t mind being asked…it was a conceivable mistake to think I worked there and I was happy to help.

But then…

“Thank you. Your English is amazing!” She replied. 

“You’re English is amazing too!” I snapped back.

She gave me the most bewildered look and left. I paid for my plums, walked home and started baking.

I normally would have shrugged this off but in light of what is happening out there, I felt a sting. I don’t think the lady meant any malice or ill-intent in her patronizing comment. What angered me was that I didn’t speak up to help her to understand the weight of her ignorant “compliment.” I have had enough. What I took away from this encounter was that I am just as responsible to dispel stereotypes whenever I’m faced with them, no matter how big or small. I have a voice and have as much right to use it as the next person. I’ve decided from this day forward, to always speak up and not to be that stereotypical sheepish and polite “Canadian”. Rather a strong, vocal and visible human being. To me, that is truly Canadian.

Bon app! (I think all this fury made this cake so delicious) 

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Upside-Down Chocolate Plum Cake
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6 servings
 
A light, chocolaty, tart cake with all the ewwy gooey caramel goodness upside-down cakes have. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon.
Ingredients
  • FOR THE CAKE
  • ¾ Cup (100 g) AP flour
  • ¼ Cup (40 g) fine semolina
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ Cup (115 g) unsalted butter room temperature
  • ¼ cup cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 40-50 grams of dark 70% chocolate chopped
  • FOR THE PLUMS and CARAMEL
  • 1 or 2 black ripe plums, stoned and sliced
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1½ table spoons unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, line the bottom of a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease the pan with butter and dusted flour or baking spray
  2. Remove pitt from plum and slice into ½ inch slices. I used one plum in the pic, however two plums is ideal.
  3. Line the bottom of the 9 inch cake pan with the sliced plums and set aside. Plum slices can overlap each other
  4. In a small skillet, on medium heat, bring the ½ cup sugar and1/4 water to a boil(about 5 minutes)- DO NOT STIR while you're waiting for the sugar water to boil
  5. Once its turned a lovely amber/caramel tone, remove from heat and add the butter and stir until the butter has been incorporated.
  6. Pour all the caramel over the plums in the cake pan and set aside
  7. FOR THE CAKE...In a large bowl or stand mixer, sift the flour, fine semolina, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon powder and mix for about 15 seconds.
  8. Add the butter and beat (paddle attachment) until the mixture looks mealy and coarse
  9. Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape sides and bottom every so often
  10. Beat on medium for about a minute until the mixture is fluffy about 1½ minutes
  11. Add the cream and vanilla and beat another half minute or so
  12. Fold in the chopped pieces of 70% dark chocolate
  13. Take spatula and spread batter over plums in cake pan evenly
  14. Bake for about 40 minutes. Start checking/testing at 35 minutes with a toothpick in centre ...should come out clean.
  15. Allow to cool in pan for half an hour before loosening cake sides with a butter knife and inverting cake on a plate
  16. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream

 

Parsnip & Blueberry Cake with Mascarpone Maple Icing

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Its Sunday night. The kids still need a bath, I need a bath , laundry needs sorting, dog needs walking, I’m missing the Oscars and I promised to have this recipe up on the blog for Friday. Life is busy…but good. 
 
I would have to say I gave up many things since having children. I’m not complaining. Just observing. The last time I went to see a grown up movie was…I actually cant remember. The last time I went to see a kids movie…last week. 
 
I love movies. Good movies. I remember as a teen I’d spend entire summers watching at least 1 movie a day whether in the theatre or a rental at home. Most of the time I’d go by myself. Being alone allowed me to laugh, cry and/or analyze without interruption or judgement. 
 

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