Lemon Cake with Coconut Marshmallow Frosting and Toasted Coconut

So I'm sure you've figured that I have feelings for you now.

I’m talking to you, Lemon Cake.

And five years ago I said these words to Nathan and we finally became a couple. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.

He is absolutely hilarious (today I endured a brief dance breakout at Lowe’s and some very enthusiastic singing in the car), incredibly thoughtful (he’s the guy to thank for my beloved stand mixer and chi flat iron, as well as the occasional “because-I-love-you” donut, and I'll never forget that perfect proposal), does a mean worm (and has a scar on his chin to prove it), is the most adorable sleeper (we’re talking arms stretched behind his head as if he’s posing for a Levi’s ad), and has a pretty face to look at (yea, he’s a stud). It’s kind of hard to put into words how much I love this guy.

So in honor of five years with the man of my dreams, I made us a celebratory cake. Bursting with lemon, topped with a coconut marshmallow frosting and flaked, toasted coconut, it’s just a little gesture to say I love you, Nathan.

And thanks for letting me change my facebook status.



Lemon Cake with Coconut Marshmallow Frosting and Toasted Coconut

Makes one (9-inch) springform pan

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
the zest of 3 lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (this was 3 lemons for me)
3 tablespoons milk

Marshmallow Frosting
4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut, toasted if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a round 9-inch cake pan (mine was springform) with nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together sifted flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in cooled butter and vanilla extract, whisking until combined. Stir in all of the lemon zest. Add half of the flour mixture, stirring well, then add in the lemon juice and milk. Stir in remaining dry ingredients until batter is smooth. Pour into the greased 9-inch pan and use a spatula to even out the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cake is set and springs back when touched. Remove and let cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heat-proof bowl, preferably the bowl of your electric stand mixer. Place over top of a double-boiler that contains simmering water, and whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are slightly warm. Immediately remove the bowl and place it on your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beating slow at first and gradually increasing the speed to high. Beat for 6-7 minutes until glossy and thick, then beat in coconut extract for another minute until combined. Frost cake as desired, then top with coconut!

Adapted from How Sweet It Is.

The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake: Mission Complete

This is it baby.



It took one year, seven rounds, fifty+ Official Cupcake Explorers who at long last found one chocolate winner.

Let’s start at the beginning. Last June I was chosen to participate in the quest for the Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake for the incredibly creative blog The Cupcake Project. I wrote up a little blurb as to why I should be chosen. It went along the lines of I have a blog, I’m a baker, I’ve made the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake, blah blah blah. Anywho, my wit and words won me a prized spot in this little venture. (And you should have seen the celebration. Bouncing-in-my-seat, hands-in-the-air ecstatic. Luckily, in the privacy of my own home).

And so the quest began. All seven rounds, as it turned out. The goal was a 60 percent vote by Explorers to agree that Yes! This is the Ultimate! Now I won’t lie, I did vote rounds 2 and 6 as winners, and every round had its pros (nicely domed, easy to follow recipe, wonderfully sweet) and cons (ugly appearance, too dense, somewhat dry), but all that turned around when I received Round 7’s recipe in an email mid-May.

Perfect everything. Perfect appearance, perfect crumb, perfect density, perfect texture, perfect chocolate flavor, perfect sweetness; ultimately perfect!

And so, without further ado, I give you…

The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake!!




See Stef’s Blog, The Cupcake Project, for more reviews about the Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake!



The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake

Makes 12 cupcakes

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 ounces of your favorite chocolate (you can use any plain chocolate that you like except white chocolate or candy melts. The chocolate doesn't have to be one typically earmarked for baking- any chocolate that isn't flavored and doesn't contain mix-ins like nuts, krispies, nougat, etc. will work.)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil, measured in a liquid measuring cup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup room temperature water, measured in a liquid measuring cup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter and sugar until fully combined. The end result should look like wet sand.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Once the melted chocolate is cool enough to touch, add it to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined. Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder into a separate medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or a whisk to ensure that the ingredients are mixed well after sifting. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined after each addition. Mix in water until just combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in the oven. Check for doneness at 18 minutes - a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. If they are not done, check again every two minutes until they are done. (Mine took 20 minutes!)

Immediately remove cupcakes from the cupcake tin and place on a cooling rack or on the counter to cool to room temperature.

[If you would like to add coffee to the recipe, either add 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee granules along with the sifted dry ingredients, or replace the water with room temperature brewed coffee.]

Adapted from The Cupcake Project.

bits and bites

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts.  Figured it was time to be random.

1.  I mentioned this in the last post, but I’m currently reading (almost finished!) Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.  Loving it.  This is not a happy-go-lucky book.  You’ve been warned.  Also, recently read Her (Laura Zigman) and love love loved that as well.  Witty, well-written, chicklit at its finest.  Couldn’t put it down. 

2. A week or so ago, Nathan and I were out and about and the Google Maps Car passed us!  We waved from our vehicle.  Then, the other night, Nathan was in our front yard and it drove down our street!  He waved (let’s hope that's all he did).  How cool is that?!  It’s the little things :)

3. So I am officially obsessed with four new blogs:  Sally’s Baking Addiction (great indulgences, great detail as to how each ingredient is imperative to making every treat delicious), Averie Cooks (more indulgences and more detail- which has aided me in tweaking some of my recipes at the bakery to make my goodies even better!), Joy the Baker (awesome recipes, awesome writing.  Something about her wit just sucks me in), and The Small Things Blog (hair and makeup help, anyone?  This girls got you covered.  So many cute hair ideas.  (I’m hooked on the alternative bun.)

4. Speaking of following blogs…I added a Bloglovin’ gadget.  Feel free to follow me!

5.  And last but not least, a girl I work with at the bakery recently asked me if I cook at home after baking all morning.  My response:  "not at much as I would like". 

Here is a (large) handful of recipes I came across during July that I hope(!) to make :) I dream big.  Enjoy browsing for yourself, my friends.

whole wheat no-knead dinner rolls with honey butter.  who doesn’t love warm, soft, homemade rolls?

blt pizza.  with roasted corn and crumbled feta.  wow.

cherry vanilla layer cake.  beautiful.

chipotle chicken salad.  let the chicken salad obsession continue.

easy oreo ice cream sandwiches.  simple and genius.

frozen coconut mango pops.  they’re healthy too!

banana zucchini pudding cake.  moist moist and more moist.

homemade honey roasted butterscotch white chocolate peanut butter.  crazy yum!

green chili and bacon cheddar corn muffins.  oh yes.

tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuits.  i’m a tomato freak.

maple dijon salmon with bacon.  made this.  loved this.

buttery parmesan sour cream bread.  so making this.

peanut butter cheesecake with chocolate chip cookie crust.  this might convert me to love cheesecake.

smores cookie sandwiches.  graham cookies + marshmallow filling, dipped in chocolate.

strawberry tuxedo cake.  gorgeous.

salted dark chocolate truffle cookies.  so making these for Christmas.

united states of burgers.  there’s a burger for every state!

oh, and what's that picture at the top of the post, you ask?  just you wait. 

just you wait.

Curried Cranberry Chicken Salad

I'm heading to a party.

A party with presents and pizza and cake and Nathan in a speedo.

It's a birthday party for Benjamin!

Yes, my adorable nephew turns three this weekend and we're going to celebrate.  There will be water games and animals (no, not a petting zoo, just our dogs Sam and Annabelle, so yeah, I guess a petting zoo) and candles (three big special candles) and balloons. 

Our little getaway starts in t-minus two days with the four hour roadtrip north.  The drive usually starts out with me driving (Nathan sleeping), then Nathan driving (me reading while Nathan is ready to chat, so...no reading)-- ps currently reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl).  Very good.  Excellent writing but a bit on the morbid side.  Dark, I suppose. 

Before I headed out, though, I was hoping to share this quick and easy chicken salad with you.  (Sorry, not exactly cake and pizza but it's a perfect summertime treat, nonetheless).  Simply chicken tossed with celery, green onions, dried cranberries, and a dash of curry powder, it's a healthy meal that keeps Nathan trim for that speedo. 

Curried Cranberry Chicken Salad

Serves 2-4 (about 3-4 cups)

1 large chicken breast, cooked and chopped (mine was about 10 ounces)

2 sticks celery, chopped

2 green onions, sliced

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 (5.3 ounce) container plain greek yogurt (I used Oikos)

1/2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 teaspoon curry powder

Mix chicken, celery, green onions, and cranberries in medium size bowl.  In separate, small bowl, mix yogurt, itailian seasoning, salt, pepper, and curry powder.  Pour yogurt mixture over chicken mixture and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Chelsea Original :)



Supreme Pizza Skillet Lasagna

You read that right.



Pizza and lasagna, match made in heaven.

We love love love supreme pizza in this house.  It's always a front-runner when we're in the mood for a pizza night (we usually opt for pepperoni pineapple when dining out. do it).  I dreamed up this idea one day (either at the bakery or in the shower- my two key places where inspiration tends to strike) while I was thinking of a way to use up half an onion and a red bell pepper that had been sitting in the fridge a tad too long, and were quickly reaching the end of their prime.  As a result, my brain got to churning, and this was the end result. 

As I prepared to make this meal, I made sure to include all of the essential characteristics necessary to building a supreme pizza- I sauteed up some yellow onion and red bell pepper, tossed in a handful of crumbled italian sausage, sliced up a few fresh mushrooms and black olives, and topped it all off with pepperoni and provolone.  It literally tastes like supreme pizza was dumped in a bowl with some noodles.  And it's nothing short of amazing.

Skillet Lasagna

Serves 4

4 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into thirds (I used 4 noodles)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup pre-cooked italian sausage crumbles (I used Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Sausage Crumbles)
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
3 large mushrooms, sliced thin
14 pepperoni slices
4 large slices of provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In large pot, cook broken pasta noodles according to package directions.

Heat a large (mine was 10.25 inch) oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add in olive oil and butter, then toss in onions and bell peppers with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 6 minutes, until soft. Add in garlic and cook for another minute, then add in sausage crumbles, cook until warmed through.

When noodles have softened, remove with a slotted spoon or drain and set aside for a few minutes.  Once sausage is warmed, add in tomatoes and basil, tossing well to coat. Add in olives and mushrooms, gently folding mushrooms into the sauce mixture.  Cover with lid for about five minutes to allow the mushrooms to cook through.  Add in the broken noodles, using the spatula or spoon to fold the sauce over the noodles. Once noodles are evenly distributed and mostly under the sauce, top with pepperoni slices and provolone. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.

Adapted from my Skillet Lasagna which was adapted from here!

Rosemary Muffins

I probably should have made these into a fancy variation of the croissant.

Rosemary-infused croissants?  Hmmmm.

You see, today I had a very good morning at the bakery.  It's not every day that everything I bake lives up to my expectations (this bar is set pretty high).  Cakes stick to pans, cookies get a touch browner than I'd prefer (I'm very particular and careful with my cookies; crisp edges with a slightly under baked, gooey center is where it's at), banana bread doesn't rise at much as I'd like).  Today, however, everything turned out beautiful: red velvet cupcakes domed, buttermilk pies cracked, petit fours became a beautiful golden. 

As a result, I was feeling empowered and spent the evening at home cooking in the kitchen.  Yes, after six hours of baking, I still chose to stand in my own kitchen listening to Celine Dion (Nathan was making his weekly run to Home Depot) making mango salsa, barbecue salmon, sauteed zucchini and had the urge to make these muffins. 

These were my go-to muffin the summer before my senior year in college.  I made them almost weekly (ps great after bar food. you heard me).  If you love rosemary, than these babies are for you.  A slightly sweet muffin doused with rosemary and a light sprinkling of sugar on top.  Perfect for family brunch, an afternoon snack, or over the sink after a late night out, of course.

I'll conquer those croissants next time.  My chicken salad would like that.

Rosemary Muffins

Makes 10 muffins

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine milk and rosemary in 2-cup glass measure.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Add butter, stirring until melted. Cool to room temperature (I'm impatient and placed mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes).

Combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk mixture and egg, and add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over muffins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the muffins spring back when lightly touched in center. Remove the muffins from the pan immediately, and place on a wire rack.

Adapted from Cooking Light.



Spicy Ginger Balsamic Tomato Salad

We have officially had our first dinner party.

There were only four of us.  And the other couple was my parents.  And they pretty much did all the cooking.  But still.  We had guests for dinner, at our table, in our home.  We're so grown up!

Upon their arrival, the car was unloaded (wine in tow, no doubt), the tour was given (we've bought a few things since their last visit), and drinks were poured (beer for the guys, said wine for mom, fruity cocktail for me, as usual).  At last, our little party was underway.  While the men manned the grill, us ladies stayed in the kitchen making this tomato salad- a light and refreshing side dish straight from the kitchen of my sister. 

We were first introduced the evening after my brother's wedding at a small get-together at her place and Nathan's been talking about it ever since.  Once my parents announced their intentions to drive down and stay with us for a little weekend vacay, they insisted we put our lonely grill to use, and I knew instantly that tomato salad would make an appearance.  The tomatoes get a little heat from the jalapeno, a bit of a zing from the ginger, and a salty drizzle of balsamic poured over top; we definitely enjoyed good company and good food that evening.

Spicy Ginger Balsamic Tomato Salad

Serves 4

2 large tomatoes, cut into large chunks
1 green onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combines tomatoes, green onion, garlic, and jalapeno in large bowl.  In separate, small bowl, whisk together balsamic, brown sugar, olive oil, ginger, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Pour dressing over tomato mixture and toss to coat.  Chill for one hour before serving.

Adapted from my sister, Mel.