Cakes

Parsnip & Blueberry Cake with Mascarpone Maple Icing

February 26, 2017 By stemsandforks 3 Comments

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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Matcha and Avocado Cake

February 21, 2017 By stemsandforks 5 Comments

I am far from being a health nut. But health is by far the most important thing, PERIOD. Last year I had surgery where the post-op recovery was excruciating. I was bed-ridden for days, helpless, depressed and in pain. All the money in the world would not have made me feel better or happier. All I wanted was my health.

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Champagne Cake with White Chocolate Strawberry Frosting

February 13, 2017 By stemsandforks 4 Comments

Love is an intense and fond affection for someone or something. But the intensity and type can vary so greatly. For me there are three broad categories of love. Love for my husband, love for my children and love for food. (Of course love for kids and hubby take 1st place:)

I found it fitting to prepare all the things I love for the ones I love; Champagne, chocolate, strawberries – in the form of cake. Just writing those words out made my water salivate with anticipation.

My love for chocolate never started until I was pregnant 11 years ago with my first born. Prior to that, I always had trouble finishing a chocolate bar. But theres something about pregnancy that changes a woman’s palette. (Any other moms go through the same experience?) Since having Moineau, I find it increasingly difficult to eat any type of meat. And the sugar intake, especially chocolate has exploded. I can now eat chocolate endlessly.

Champagne has always been a staple in our home. Each year we bring a few bottles back from Europe and indulge whenever a special occasion happens to come upon us. Pre and post natal, my love for the bubbly has not changed:)

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Golden Beet Cake with Brown Butter Sage Frosting

February 9, 2017 By stemsandforks 1 Comment

Every now and then, I whip up gnocchi with brown butter and fresh sage drizzle. Add a bit of fresh parmesan and cracked black pepper and my mouth is singing. Or I’ll roast beets and toss with some goats cheese and walnuts. Often I’ve wondered if I could translate the sage/butter/cheese/beets/walnuts into a cake and finally I did. I know what you’re thinking. Betty’s finally lost her marbles. She’s trying to make cake from a salad.

Well, I did and it was sublime. The golden colour from the beets gave the cake a beautiful soft golden hue. The taste was sweet yet subtly earthy, crunchy yet creamy. The closest thing I can compare this to is carrot cake but less sweet with loads more elegance.

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Chocolate Mascarpone Cake

January 31, 2017 By stemsandforks 6 Comments

It’s hard to avoid hearing about what’s going on with our neighbours to the south. I went to my local coffee shop this morning, and almost every single person was talking about it. I was in line at the grocery store and my cashier struck up a conversation with me about it. She told me how Robert de Niro compared the situation to Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, and how he ominously concluded with, “God help us.”

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White Cake with White Buttercream Icing

January 19, 2017 By stemsandforks 2 Comments

For children, birthdays are up there on the list of favourite occasions with Christmas and Halloween. Aside from the gifts, they get tons of attention and feel wonderful to be more “grown up”. It’s also the only day of the year I see my kids’ faces light up with wonder when it’s time to blow out the candles. That moment when they get to make a wish. A wish that cannot be shared with anyone or it won’t come true.

“All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince

I remember the feeling of aging began on my 35th birthday. In my head I multiplied 35 by 2 and I came up with 70. Was I halfway through my life? What have I done for society so far? Why am I here? Well thankfully I was too busy with my floral business and a young child I didn’t have time to analyze my existential questions. I had weddings and diapers to deal with. Those questions would be dealt with at a later time, I had told myself.

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White Chocolate Grapefruit Poundcake

January 17, 2017 By stemsandforks 2 Comments

It’s not often that I come up with my own recipe. Typically I adapt someone else’s. Why reinvent the wheel if it works, right? Wrong. Cooking/baking is truly an art. A perishable, consumable art form that has evolved so much since humans began to eat (so since forever). In every culture and society, food is one of the most tangible elements that defines us. Without the innate need to push the envelope or evolve our culinary creativity, humans wouldn’t have invented sous-vide cooking or Cronuts, (the latter, which I still haven’t tried). But enough of sliding down this sociological slope.

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Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

December 26, 2016 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

The amount of chocolate, cookies and sweets we receive each Christmas is just out of this world. So much so that even I, the biggest sweet tooth just cannot handle all this saccharin. I awoke yesterday, Christmas morning with the biggest sugar hangover. I couldn’t even look at my coveted Neuhaus chocolates my mother in law Monique sent all the way from Belgium. Despite my hangover, I still craved something baked. Nothing too sweet but something slightly crumbly and moist that would go well with my strong coffee. Cinnamon streusel coffee cake is all of the above.

After preparing the batter and popping it into the oven, I took Roxie our yellow lab for a walk, made a fresh pot of coffee from beans I smuggled in from Knokke, Belgium and set the table for breakfast. Timing was perfect. The cinnamon aroma wafted throughout the house and woke the whole family up. It’s hard to ignore the smell of cinnamon. I remember a realtor once telling me to bake something with cinnamon before an open house as it’ll increase the value and sale of our home. Needless to say I baked cinnamon streusel coffee cake and staged it on a beautiful vintage cake tray. Our home sold that very same day.

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