Tag: bundt cake

Cinnamon-Blondie-Surprise Bundt

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Birthdays are some of the best reasons to bake, especially when such a simple act can create real happiness. Truly, I’ve witnessed unfiltered joy while watching friends and family enjoy a warm slice of pie, or their favorite batch of cookies. And a homemade birthday cake is a pretty timeless way to show someone they are LOVED. This stunning bundt is a re-take on Model Bakery’s espresso bundt cake, featuring a cinnamon layer that went absolutely haywire while baking and made the most amazing and unexpected swirling patterns throughout the cake.

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The Model Bakery is based in St. Helena, CA, and is famous for their english muffins.  They are tall, stately, buttery, and not to be missed.

The crumb of this cake is insanely tender and the cinnamon layer is another great option to pair with the blonde cake. The original recipe for the Model Bakery’s espresso bundt can be found here. The substitutions we made were to dissolve cinnamon in almond milk, rather than using the cold espresso + water recommended in their recipe, and instead of an espresso glaze this bundt features a maple-spiked glaze. This cake is even better on day two, so don’t feel like you have to gobble it all up at once (or, go ahead, that’s what birthdays are for).

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You guys, I baked!

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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

So, summer is over? So . . . summer is over. Quick as ever, like one deep breath and the blink of an eye, it’s fall again here in Oakland. With leaves changing color, a penetrating evening sunshine, and a breeze in the air, we’ve turned the corner to a new season. I suppose it makes sense then that I’ve got baking on the brain, finally. I spent most of my summer outdoors — as it should be, when all is right with the world — which was not conducive to tinkering near the stove. But I have been blessed all summer with beautiful vegetables from my mom’s garden, including squash and zucchini in sizes you’ve never seen before.

And a labor day bbq yesterday called for a round of chocolate chip zucchini bread. Without two loaf pans the same size, I baked this in my bundt pan. I realize it looks like all I ever do anymore is bake bundt cakes . . . That is, more or less, the case.

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I sliced the cake up for easy grabbing at the barbecue, which also created a pretty plating effect — completely by accident. I also made a yummy green salad, which I don’t have a photo of. See this post here and my modified recipe, below. How Sweet It Is recommends serving the salad with chips, but I tweaked the recipe to be more of a traditional salad and eliminated the chicken and bacon for my friendly vegetarians. I fully plan to make the salad again, with bacon.

Blueberry and tomato salad with grilled corn and feta 

2-3 cups lettuce of your choice, I used a mix of baby greens
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 ear grilled corn, cut off the cob
2/3-cup blueberries
1 avocado, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta
½-teaspoon salt
½-teaspoon pepper
½ lime and ½ lemon, juiced
½ cup green onions
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil

Do y’all really need instructions for what to do with these ingredients? Chop it all up, toss, serve. I would recommend waiting until your grilled corn has cooled a bit before mixing it in.