sweet plum cake

i'm back at it with a new late summer // early fall

cake to use up all the delectable fruit that is in

season. last week i welcomed fall with our pear

cake, and this week i had a surplus of amazing

plums ... so i finally made the famous new york

times plum cake! it will become a favorite really

fast. it's beautiful, unique, decadent, and perfect

for a dinner party or just a casual night. and, it's

so simple to put together. this recipe is actually

pretty well-known, and i've read about it in a 

few cookbooks and food blogs. smitten kitchen

posted it most recently, and i had to make it.

it was very first published in the new york times

{my favorite paper} over 30 years ago and continued

to publish every year during plum season for ten years.

when the food editors announced it was time to stop

running it, everyone saved it//laminated it// cut it out

to keep this treasured recipe. just from this history, i

knew that this was a special cake before even making it.

step one: pick up some sweet plums

(or pluots if you have them :)

i did a little bit of a combo here.

next, mix up the batter:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• generous pinch of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 12 plums, halved and pitted
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 to 2 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling

preheat your oven to 350°F. whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. in another bowl, cream butter + sugar together with a mixer until fluffy and light in color. add in the eggs one at a time and scrape down the bowl, then add the dry ingredients -- mixing until just combined.

spoon batter into a 9-inch pan and smooth the top. arrange the plums, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it. sprinkle the top with lemon juice, then cinnamon, then remaining sugar.

bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a center part of the cake comes out free of batter, about 45 to 50 minutes. cool on a rack.

once it's cool, if you can stand it, leave it covered at room temperature overnight. **this cake is 1000000 times better the next day, as the plum juices release more into the cake and it becomes more flavorful & moist. worth the wait!!

be ready to add this to your 

end-of-september staples!

xo

chocolate zucchini cake with ganache

this recipe is a favorite...

you may have never paired chocolate and 
zucchini, but trust me when i say it's perfection...

{might even be better than these zucchini brownies, here!}

you will be fighting for the last bite!

ingredients
for the cake:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup coconut oil {or canola oil}
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt {can sub sour cream}
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2-3 cups grated zucchini {no need to peel}
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  for the ganache:
• 9oz {about 3/4c} semi-sweet chocolate chips
• scant 3/4c whole milk + 1 Tbsp butter {or 3/4c heavy cream}

instructions

for the cake:

1. cream together butter, oil, and sugar. add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. stir in vanilla, then add cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, + salt.
2. add 1/2 of the greek yogurt, followed by half of the flour. repeat with second half of the greek yogurt and second half of the flour. then, fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.
3. spread the batter into a greased 9×13″ baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs. allow cake to cool slightly while you make the ganache.

for the ganache:

1. in a smaller saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips together with milk and butter until mixture is really smooth. **be sure to stir very regularly so as not to scorch chocolate.
2. drizzle ganache over the warm cake and smooth with a spatula. allow the cake to cool completely and the ganache to set up.
3. you can refrigerate the cake for a short time if you're in a hurry! then, slice and serve.
4. any leftover cake can be sliced and frozen.

enjoy the last of that summer zucchini!

xo

dessert date night

my sweet tooth & my sweetheart 
both LOVED this date night at
 sift dessert bar.

some nights you're just in need of some treats
and a little mini date night. this weeknight 
after a long day of work we were so tired
and just having one of those nights. so we
decided to turn it around and make it sweeter,
quite literally! we walked down to this cutest 
shop and fell in love. our sweet tooth was
satisfied, and our night was so much better!
i love nothing more than a good bakery.

chocolate-filled rice krispies.. heaven!!!!
how have i never thought of this?

sugar cookie ice cream sandwich with
salted caramel ice cream was chase's choice.
he's a smart man, that husband of mine.

the details of the bakery are darling.

frosting shots? yes please.

just some of the goodies 
we took home for later!

loved chatting with the cute manager. 

sift dessert bar began in napa {where all the 

best food comes from} and it got so popular 

that they had to bring it to the city as well!

bakery-loving girl

and don't forget, a salty caramel 

macaron for the walk home.

here's to sweet nights and 

satisfying our sweet tooth!

xo

blended oatmeal cookies

i saw this recipe listed in my grandma's recipe

book as "best cookies you will EVER have"

and had to write it down. i never tried it 

until a rainy thursday night a few

weeks ago when we had a movie

night with our roomies and we

needed these "best cookies"

of course! i tried them out and...

(we really like our chocolate chip
cookies around here, and have some
favorites...) but these are amazing
because they are different. the blended
oatmeal gives them a great texture and
the flavor is so good, especially with
the combo of semi-sweet chocolate
chips with hershey's milk chocolates.
also, big tip: they are amazing warm, but
seriously even better the next day.

we are running the san francisco marathon
today, so i thought these were perfect to 
post because i have a feeling i'll be
whipping these up later tonight
after those 26.2 miles...

ingredients:

1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2.5 c blended oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz chocolate chips
1 4 oz grated hershey bar

directions:

first, measure oatmeal and blend oatmeal to fine powder. set aside and cream butter and both sugars. add in the eggs and vanilla, then mix with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powders and baking soda. after it's well combined, add chocolate chips and the grated hershey bar.  if you can stand it, chill the dough in the fridge for a few hours {i NEVER have patience for this!!} spoon dough out into LARGE balls on pan, and bake at 375 until they're light brown on top ...around 10 minutes. enjoy!

xo

off the grid favorites: part III

surprise, surprise..
more off the grid!

because, what's more fun

than going out to dinner in a huge

parking lot with all the best food trucks?

we can't stop and neither should you!

cheese gone wild food truck has some gourmet

grilled cheese sandwiches if i've ever seen them!

and who doesn't love a good grilled cheese?

the alcatraz melt has grilled steak, carmelized onions &

mushrooms, with a gruyere/swiss blend. it's flavorful

and not for the faint of heart! chase loved this sandwich.

next time i want to try their golden gate melt, a

grilled cheese stuffed with mac & cheese + bacon!

{better save up for that one!}

///

we also tried the famous pork lechon from jeepney guy.

he is not messing around with the authentic way he

he cooks this right at the stand, and those sauces..yum!

it's a family-run business which

is always the best! i loved talking

to this great husband-wife team.

///

for dessert, we could not resist

the darling johnny doughnuts.

do you think i'm exaggerating

when i say these are life changing?

because i'm not! i don't like most

doughnuts, i'll be honest. there are

a select few i'm down with. i really

don't like new trendy doughnuts 

that look cute but taste terrible and

fake. johnny doughnuts has the best

of both worlds because the doughnuts

are darling and SO well made. there

are unique flavors & also classics, 

so something for everyone. trust me

that you won't be disappointed! i only

wish i could have tried the "crodough"

cronut, but they were sold out of course!

next time :) the vanilla old fashioned was

a favorite though...hard to choose just one!

 the cutest people work in this truck. they

were so nice and so happy...probably because

they work around these doughnuts all day!

look at their instagram & you'll instantly be

happier from all those doughnut pictures! 

^^would you just look at how thick

and scrumptious that is???

be sure to check out these three trucks!

xo

coconut muddy buddies

recently muddy buddies came back into my life

and i remembered that they are the best ever! 
but, i decided to try to health them up just a 
little bit by switching out the butter for coconut
oil, and not only is this version healthier, they 
actually taste better with that hint of coconut 
now! sprinkle a few flakes of coconut in too..

it's a game changer for sure. here you go!
make them for the 4th of july this weekend, you
could throw in some red white & blue m&m's!

ingredients

1 box rice chex cereal

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1.5 cups powdered sugar

sprinkles of coconut {optional}

directions

pour the cereal into a giant bowl and set aside.

in a separate microwavable mixing bowl, combine 

coconut oil, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. 

melt together in the microwave 30 seconds at 

a time, stopping in between to stir until mixture 

is fully combined. add in the vanilla extract and stir.

pour hot mixture over chex cereal, coating all over.

carefully pour into a large gallon-sized ziploc bag, 

and add powdered sugar gradually as you mix it 

around to coat cereal. chex mix should be dusted 

white over the chocolate. seal ziploc and mix carefully 

until coated, then pour into bowl and enjoy. 

don't eat them too fast! :)

xo

reese's cookie bars

after easter and my birthday, we had wayyyyyyy too many

sweets around our apartment...so i decided to turn some into 

even sweeter sweets! :) brilliant right? those reese's eggs are too

good to be true, but we had like 20 left sitting on our coffee table

and i couldn't take it anymore...so i chopped them up, mixed up

a cookie bar dough, stirred them in, and ta-da: reese's cookie bars.

we ate them warm with milk and we were happy campers.

you could obviously substitute different candy bars, i think the

dough turned out just right where it forms a good bar texture.

but start with the reese's combo --- you won't regret it!

ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

20 (170 grams) reese's peanut butter cups

directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. spray an 8 or 9 inch square pan 

and set aside. in a bowl, beat coconut oil (or butter), sugars, and 

vanilla until creamy. add in egg and beat.

in another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. 

add the flour mixture in a little bit at a time, beating 

each time until well combined. unwrap and chop up reese's cups. 

then, stir them in by hand. press cookie dough into the 

square pan, bake for 20-25 minutes and enjoy!

xo

coconut layer cake

i just had a birthday week full of all things sweet.

sweet friends, sweet gifts, sweet notes, a sweet husband,

and of course sweet treats. to go along with that, i am sharing

a very sweet, heavenly dessert that you need to make for a special

occasion. i made this coconut cake from scratch for easter with my 

family, and it really was a hit! it's light and moist and y-u-m-m-y.

just trust me on this. like my grandma ginny says, "this cake is so good

it will knock your socks off!" my dad also gave it 2 big thumbs up

and his approval is hard to come by when it comes to food.

ingredients

for the cake:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs {separated}
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  
  
  for the frosting:
  
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup shredded coconut

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. spray two 9 inch cake pans.
in a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. set aside.
in a bigger mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy, and then add sugar
in until smooth. separate eggs and add egg yolks one at a time, beating
in between adding them. next, add the flour mixture & milk alternatively,
starting and ending with flour. stir in vanilla extract, coconut extract,
and 1 cup shredded coconut. in another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff,
but not dry -- then fold into cake mixture.

divide the batter evenly in half between the two pans. bake in preheated
350 oven for 30-35 minutes. allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.
for the frosting:
blend butter and cream cheese until smooth...then add powdered sugar slowly. 
add in vanilla and coconut extract. fold in shredded coconut. spread all over cooled cake.

a cookie date

monday calls for cookies.

this monday has been long coming

back from such a fun week visiting home,

so to cheer myself up i'm posting about one

of my favorite treats ever...ruby snap cookies.

the best gourmet cookies on earth! best flavors,

cutest shop, all natural ingredients. if you live

in salt lake please tell me you've been? if not,

please tell me you'll go? i love everything about

it and loved going on a little date here with my mom.

^^ can i eat this off the screen? trying to right now.

^^ the names & pin-up girls are the cutest. every cookie

has one, and there are two specials each week.

^^ this one sounds different, but it was probably

my favorite of the day (and we tried a lot!) it's

a current monthly special, so hurry down and try it!

^^ they also sell the cutest sassy cards -- this place

is perfect to pick up a darling cookie in a box

along with these funny cute cards for a gift.

^^ and of course, the most darling girls work here. 

loved visiting and getting my ruby snap fill!

i heart cookies!

this store location is near downtown at

770 south 300 west, but you can also

get rubysnap dough at whole foods

trolley square, "the store," and

harmons downton! you need to go.

don't believe me yet?

see their flavors here.

thank me later.

xo