Olive Oil Cake?
Lavender Olive Oil Loaf Cake with a cup of Earl Grey tea... divine on a gloomy winter's afternoon.
Added was a tablespoon of lavender; and substitute the lemon zest for orange zest and the cake has a new personality, a little more sophisticated.
So having lent out my book from Lebovitz I had to locate this recipe online so I could make it for a holiday party this year. It was the very first thing I baked in my brand spanking new oven.
I way overcooked it because I just did, but the good news was that it was still fabulous all dried out.
Why yes, and it was fabulous with all the fruits and nuts inside!!
The New York Times rarely stears you wrong with a good recipe and this was no exception:
Pistachio Baklava with Rosewater
Real Baklava takes time. A lot of time. But the results are so thoroughly rewarding.
I believe that there exists no better version that with pistachios and rose water. Even after making a batch where the birthday girl requested no rosewater... well, it just didn't taste right and I had to add a little to the orange flower water. Guess what- she swooned over it. So I stand by the above statement. And whatever you do, don't be stingy on the pistachios and you must clarify your butter in order for the pasty to stay crunchy and not get soggy.
And I probably have a heavy hand with the rosewater, but have had no complaints. As always, you gotta taste it as you make it!
This is the recipe that I use. I probably increase the nuts by intentionally over measuring.
Chocolate Ricotta Cake with Raspberry Buttercream
I use this cake recipe and make a swiss buttercream and incorporated very carefully the pint of pureed fresh raspberries. Remember, the buttercream is an emulsion and adding a liquid phase is risky. I added a touch of raspberry extract for good measure.
It was very very good. The cake was so crazy moist and baked up perfectly.
Just one note on buttercream- the biggest advantage to a swiss buttercream is that it is not all that sweet nor is it sugary. Now I love sweets, but this adds a silky buttery lightly sweet complement to any cake and I just cannot get on board with those other versions that have cups and cups of confectioners sugar.
I think what I loved most about these were how they remained light on the outside while the chocolate melted and darkened the inside. The taste? Well can one really go wrong with chocolate and hazelnuts and meringue?
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