Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

So, I’m from Illinois, remember? Growing up, the biggest fruit picking thing we ever did was apple picking in the fall, and maybe a first grade school field trip to the pumpkin patch, which was really only exciting because we all got to wear jeans instead of our school uniforms and could count on Capri Sun juice packs in our brown bag lunches. Because of my limited childhood fruit picking experiences, it never ceases to blow my mind that I’m raising a child in California–not only can we pick apples and pumpkins in the fall, but crazy things that I only ever ate on rare occasions as a kid, and strictly from the supermarket. Strawberries! Blackberries! Citrus! Kiwi fruit, for crying out loud! All for the public picking at little farms tucked away up and down the coast. Unreal!

California kids don’t know how good they’ve got it. You take them strawberry picking, and they slam your sofa into your front window and bust a whole section of it. These kids, I tell ya.
Oh, yes! Didn’t I tell you? Little C totally shattered the front window. It was epic. The sort of thing that makes a mother curl up in her closet with a bowl of Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream and a bottle of Wild Turkey. Or something.

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Fresh Corn and Thyme Soufflé

Lest you think that my family subsists on cookies and cake alone, I need to share something very special with you. And not “special” in the complicated sense, either. Nay, I am here to offer you not only something savory (!!), but also the kind of recipe that does that magical job of making everyone think you are a freaking genius, when in actuality it was really quite simple. The sort of thing that requires a smattering of lightly dressed greens and a glass of wine and nothing else. I live for this kind of recipe.

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Peanut Butter Pie

Maybe you’ve heard of Jennifer Perillo through her phenomenal work as a food writer, blogger and recipe developer. Maybe, like me, you follow her work to get inspiration for your own writing, and sometimes to marvel at the fearless way she tackles her life as a working mom and how she manages to weave her love of food into every moment with her beloved family. Or perhaps you’ve only just heard of Jennie in the past week, when the sudden death of her husband Mikey has been the focus of the food blogging community. I am betting that if you’re in the last category, you’ve been touched by her story, and have seen the outpouring of sympathy from people like me, who can barely even be categorized as acquaintances of Jennie’s.

I suppose it’s because I’m a mother to a little girl myself, and close to Jennie’s age; the past few days I’ve had her in my thoughts almost constantly, a flurry of questions and what ifs that I just can’t seem to shake. It’s the sort of tragedy that I can only imagine to a certain point before my mind literally won’t let me think any further. It’s a terrible reality for so many women, and one that the average person is not equipped to handle with sanity, let alone strength and grace.

But Jennie is not your average woman. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying her straightforward, evocative writing style, this much is clear. Just days after her world changed, she managed to reach out to her dedicated fans and virtual friends who were asking what could be done for her and her girls. Jennie asked for just one simple thing: that we all might put together one of her husband’s favorite desserts today, and enjoy it with our families in Mikey’s memory.

And so tonight my husband, Little C and I will be doing just that. Gathered at our little dinner table, chatting about the week, dragging our spoons through a pile of dreamy peanut butter mousse and a chocolate-slicked cookie crust. Thankful to be loved, to be alive, to be present with each other. A sweet start to a weekend spent as one lucky, lucky family.

If you’d like to make a Peanut Butter Pie of your own in Mikey’s honor and send Jennie and her girls your love and support, you can find the recipe on her website here.

Giant Chocolate-Toffee Brownie Cookies

ZOMG. Can someone confirm for me that this week has 11 days in it? It does, right?

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (at least 60 to 70% cacao), chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 1.4-ounce chocolate-covered English toffee bars (such as Heath), coarsely chopped

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Microwave with 30-second bursts of high power, stirring after each interval, until the mixture is melted and smooth; set aside to cool slightly (alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and butter over a double boiler).

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together sugar, eggs and espresso powder until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then the toffee bits. Chill batter until firm, about 1 hour.

Triple Berry Danish Cheesecake

Hahaha! Ohh. You know what I think is just hysterical about parenting? All of the clichés are true. Examples: You discover you can love with an intensity you never thought possible. You find that there lives inside you a fierce, irrationally angry Mama Bear that emerges whenever anyone comes remotely close to messing with your cub. Bodily fluids of all sorts simply won’t be as off-putting as they once were. And then there’s the most sobering realization of them all: Girlfriend, once a small person comes out of you, your body really is never going to be quite the same again. (Foxy bazillionaire celebrity mothers with health and fitness entourages notwithstanding.)

Now. Maybe I could get closer to my pre-baby self if I didn’t make a habit out of making things like this mind-blowing Triple Berry Danish Cheesecake, but I still am completely in love with this recipe anyway. Funnily enough, this cheesecake first came to me a few years back when I was indeed in pre-baby shape, working the counter at a Santa Monica fitness studio where I worked out as a hobby (!!) and got to have adult conversations all day long, sometimes even with those aforementioned foxy bazillionaire celebrity mothers. Pssh. What’s fun about that? Nothing! Right? Lie to me.

If you are one of the five people who read this blog in the early days of Piece of Cake, then maybe you might remember this jazzy little number of a cheesecake, which I first created with apples instead of berries. The recipe was given to me by a Danish friend of mine when I told her I was a baking fiend (quite an eyebrow-raise-inducing statement at a Santa Monica fitness studio, let me tell you). I’m sure there’s some sort of great, Saveur-esque backstory about what makes this cheesecake decidedly Danish, but for me, the thing that immediately comes to mind is that this cake is totally unlike any cheesecake I’ve ever had in my life, and is instead reminiscent of the best part those lovely Danish pastries served at bakeries all over the place.

You know the center of a really great cheese Danish, where it’s at once creamy and sweet and contrasted by that thin layer of buttery cakey-ness underneath? Yeah, it’s like a whoooole cake of that. Rather than your typical graham cracker crust, this drool-inducing dessert starts with a parbaked butter cake, which is covered in fruit and then topped with a cheesecake batter. It’s lemon-scented, bursting with summer berries and altogether transcendent. Like, take-you-to-another-planet-where-you’ll-briefly-forget-about-your-pre-baby-backside-level transcendent.

Triple Berry Danish Cheesecake

For the cake layer:

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
7 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the berry cream cheese layer:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray or butter.

Begin by making the cake layer: Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg until well-blended. Reduce the speed the low and stir in the dry ingredients. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Finish folding the batter by hand and spread into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges of the cake are just set, about 15 minutes (the center will still very soft and nowhere near done–we’re just parbaking the cake layer here). Cool for about 5 minutes.

While the cake layer is baking, make the cheesecake layer. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese together with the lemon zest and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until lightly and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well-blended. Give the batter a good stirring by hand to ensure that everything is incorporated.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining tablespoon of sugar and the cornstarch. Add the berries and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the parbaked cake layer. Pour the cheesecake batter over the top. Bake until the cake is puffed and lightly golden, and the center is set, 45-50 minutes. Let cool completely, at least 2 hours before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature with a pretty dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

So hey, did I ever tell you about the time I met Betty White? I’m so serious! It was several years ago, before her glorious resurgence of late. I’d watched The Golden Girls obsessively for many years (during its first run, as a young girl unnaturally drawn to observing the lives of aging Miami women, and then again in reruns as part of a post-lunch relaxation ritual during college), so as you might imagine, the meeting was one of the more mind-blowing moments of my years spent in Los Angeles.

The best part about meeting Betty White was that she was exactly as you’d hope Betty White would be—vibrant, chatty, funny, an incredible lively sparkle in her eye—even though I was an absolute stranger to her. Even better, she was even more charming than I’d imagined she’d be in person. It was very hard not to hug her. I’ve had the chance to meet a bunch of fancy, high-profile people over the years that I’d admired for one reason or another, and there’s nothing grosser than meeting someone you’re a fan of and finding out they actually suck. Well, not this time—I left that brief meeting an even bigger Betty fan than before, and was so impressed by her awesomeness that I’m still talking about it years later, even finding a roundabout way to connect it to Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Just hang on a sec—I’ll get there.

So several months back, after the release of their latest book Baked Explorations, I got to meet the positively darling baking superduo of Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito at a book signing event here in San Francisco. And I’d say they would be manically pleased to know that meeting them conjured up Betty White-meeting-level feelings. They are seriously hilarious and adorable and every bit as entertaining and warm-hearted as their cookbooks. Thank God.

I mean, after my multiple gushings about the guys and their terrific recipes, I’d probably have required therapy had they been unenjoyable in person. But within five minutes of their presentation at their signing at Omnivore Books, not only had they cracked the whole place up with their Odd Couple-esque banter, but they also dropped mad knowledge, such as the fact that Cher, Liberace and Vincent Price all have published cookbooks at some point. Who knew? The Baked boys, that’s who. Quirk and humor are as important to their books and their business as bold flavors and dreamy textures and I totally love them for it.

Since falling in love with those Baked boys all over again, I’ve read their latest cookbook cover to cover and bookmarked it like mad within days of receiving it, but until recently, I’d had yet to actually bake anything from it. I know. As it turns out, being up to your eyeballs in sugar for your own little cookbook will throw such kinks in your best-laid baking plans. But on a recent foggy Sunday, I was so drawn to this simple, soulful cake (no electric mixer required!), I had to make it happen. Because, hello—chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting, people.

The great thing about this cake is how fantastically versatile it is. Its earthy oat flavor and nubbly crumb plays so fantastically with the chocolate bits and sweet cream cheese frosting, it’s perfect for a weekend/eat-straight-from-the counter-by-the-hunk sort of situation. But it would be lovely in elegant slices for company (dusted prettily with a smidge of cocoa powder as you see here) or even made into a layer cake for a birthday or somesuch. Like a mimosa-soaked brunch with Betty White and the Baked boys in attendance, you really can’t go wrong here. And with that last sentence, I think I’ve created my new mental Happy Place.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito’s Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented

This recipe includes the genius step of tossing the chocolate chips in a bit of liquor and then tossing them in a bit of flour. It gives a touch of great flavor to the cake and also keeps the chips from all sinking to the bottom of the cake. They recommend bourbon or Scotch, but I’m thinking Frangelico, dark rum, Kahlua or Grand Marnier would also be awesome. If I didn’t have any booze on hand (unlikely), I’d probably just use a touch of water to moisten the chips and get the flour to adhere.

For the cake:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon bourbon, Scotch or other complimentary liquor (see note)
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup rolled oats (not steel cut or quick-cooking)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups boiling water
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the cream cheese frosting:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
5 1/2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with the liquor, then with 2 tablespoons of flour to evenly coat the chips. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, place the oats and butter. Pour the boiling water over the top. Allow to sit for about 30 seconds, then stir until the butter has melted. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled oatmeal until well-combined. Fold in the remaining flour, followed by the the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toohtpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla just until combined. Spread on the cooled cake. Chill the cake for about 15 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

12 Cupcake Tips

Back when I was a newly obsessive baker (and making tacky Us Weekly-candid-celebrity-photo-influenced fashion choices), the cupcake boom was just starting. So like a lot of food bloggers, I was all up in the cupcake recipes. And I still do love a great cupcake—I sort of don’t trust people who turn their noses up at them or call them passé. But the big difference between my early baking days and now (aside from the fact that I’ve learned that having my bra straps peeking out from my tank tops is actually not cute AT ALL) is that I’ve grown to understand that cupcakes are quite a different animal from their big sister, the layer cake. Whether you find them irresistible or not, the cupcake is here to stay, friends. Embrace it! Here’s a few of my favorite tips for great cupcakes:

I tend to underbeat the batter just a touch less than I would for a layer cake during each stage of mixing. Because cupcakes are smaller, I love it when the cake is a tad denser, when they yield to the tooth ever-so-slightly when bitten into and hold their shape throughout eating. This is not to say as dense as a pound cake, but more compact than, say, a cake mix might produce. Incorporate some air into the butter and sugar, a bit more with the eggs, and of course scrape down your bowl occasionally to ensure everything is blending smoothly, but avoid overbeating at any stage. Beat as slow and as little as possible once the dry ingredients are added to avoid activating the gluten in the flour and toughening the cake.

When choosing a frosting, think about the balance of sweetness and texture. One should compliment the other! If you have a very sweet and/or dense cake, think about a lighter, less sweet frosting, and vice versa. Thinking about balancing the overall sweetness of the cupcake can also guide you in deciding how much frosting to put on each cupcake. Another awesome way to add textural interest to cupcakes is with decorative toppings. Usually we think of a smattering of sprinkles as a way to make the cute even cuter, but it goes beyond the visual effect. Coarse sanding sugars, jimmies and the like don’t just look pretty, they add a nice crunch that plays really well with a fluffy, creamy frosting.