Tag Archives: sugar

The 5 minute cake

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OK So, it obviously still has to bake, butttttt it only takes 5 minutes to prepare or make (no lie). It’s yummy and if you’re in a pinch it’s a lovely dessert. PS our birthdays were last week so we are still in a sugary coma of cake cake cake [ahh the Rihanna song will NEVER get old, just like us by the way, never aging :)]

Anyway, take all of the ingredients below, mix well and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees, it’s literally THAT easy. My foodie tip would be to serve with cherry preserves, compote, jam whatever you can find. I just think cherries and almonds should be married so it’s like the most yum pairing ever! Having said that, the cake on its own is pretty divine

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of melted butter
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 cup sugar
  • sliced almonds (just to sprinkle on top pre-baking, to let people know its an almond cake).
  • powdered sugar (just to sprinkle on top post-baking, it makes it look not so easy & more fancy)

5 minute cake_damndelish

Happy Eating, XO.

Churros – The stuff dreams are made of

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My fondest memories of churros (if one could have fond memories of churros) is in my high school lunch room. I had never seen them before and fell in love at first bite. I mean, fried dough, rolled in a cinnamon-y sugar-y goodness? Shut up and take my money. Every day.

Recently, I went to a local restaurant Paloma where we got hot-out-of-the-oven churros, served with chocolate sauce for dessert. I can’t even describe to you how good they were. At that moment I knew I had to learn how to make them.  I NEED them in my life, (just like I need to sign up for that gym membership if this is going to keep happening…). Anyway, you know when we obsess over something that means we share it with you. Because you NEED these in your life too.

  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup extra sugar to coat
  • 2 tsp cinnamon to coat

Combine 1 tbsp of sugar, water, and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. While stirring, slowly add the flour until fully combined and a dough begins to form. Remove dough from the saucepan to a mixing bowl and let cool. (You’ll be handling the dough with your hands, so be careful not to burn yourself.) Fill a sauce pan with canola oil about 4 inches deep and heat on medium-high.

Once the dough is cooled, add the eggs and mix together. Slide the dough in to a pastry bag or cookie press with a large star tip (to get the ridged effect), or if you’re ready to just dive in these bites of heaven already, you can also use a sturdy ziplock bag, with a corner snipped off. (Be cautious with the ziplock bag, the first time I did this, the dough was so thick it split the bag.) Pipe the dough into 4 inch sections and drop in the oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Churros - damndelish

Happy Eating, XO.

Bikini Brownies

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We get it, it’s summer so no one can really indulge like they do in the winter. However, that doesn’t mean cravings for some soft and scrumptious chocolate brownies don’t arise. This is a low calorie, protein filled, and gluten-free way to make a brownie. It’s quite good paired with some berries and fresh whipped cream as well. Its a nice way to satiate the desire for dessert without packing on the bathing suit nightmare’s love handles. This is a perfect addition to a BBQ menu since it will cater to all types of food restrictions and diets.

  • 1 can of black beans (15.5 oz.)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. instant coffee (really makes things more chocolate-y but feel free to leave out)
  • 3/4 cup white sugar

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth (batter like consistency) Then pour into a non stick pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I baked mine in a muffin pan so that I could portion out 160 calorie size/serving.

brownies

Happy Eating (and swimming), XO.

 

Lemon Basil Sorbet

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Happy Memorial day!! Although the official first day of summer is still a couple of weeks away, we’re prepping you by giving you a “cool” homemade dessert. I went on vacation to Florida back in April (while, somehow, it was still freezing in the Northeast) and I saw lemon basil sorbet on a menu. I’ll take two, please. Of course, I had to come home and try to make it for myself. I’m a real sucker for herbs in anything – cocktails, desserts,  facewash. No joke.  Plus, how hard could it be to make a glorified icee?

*If you’re using an ice cream maker like I did, don’t forget to freeze it overnight before making this recipe. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, don’t worry, you can still make this!

  •  3 cups of water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup large basil leaves
  • 1 cup of lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When fully combined, turn off the heat, throw in all of the basil and let it steep for 10 minutes.  This will create a basil syrup. Once cooled, strain out the basil leaves and add in the lemon juice and lemon zest. (Not gonna lie, throw in some vodka and this could be an awesome cocktail!) Hook up your frozen ice maker and slowly pour in the lemon basil syrup creating an icee/sorbet consistency. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour it in to an airtight container and store in the freezer, scraping it with a fork every hour until you get that sorbet consistency.

You can store this in an airtight container for up to three months.

Lemon Basil Sorbet

 

Happy Eating, XO.

Italian Love Cake: Happy Valentine’s Day

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Not sure on the history of why this is called love cake, but I will tell you its two major components are items I love dearly: chocolate & cheese!! (It’s ricotta, chill) Anyway, it’s not super laborious, but it’s also not your traditional cake. Set aside a good amount of time to make this and it’s actually best if you make the night before serving. Also! there’s an element of magic involved. That’s right kids, magic.

  • 1 boxed chocolate cake mix AND the ingredients listed on the box (I know I’m a disappointment to Martha but whatever, I love me a solid shortcut)
  • 2 lbs. (32 ounces) ricotta cheese (seemed like an insane amount when I was buying it but is actually the right quantity)
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar (my coworkers seemed to think 1 cup would’ve been better as that layer wasn’t quite as sweet, so use your judgment)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (5.1 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 cup cold milk (yes that seems like too little, but just trust the recipe please, also I may swap this for Kahlua next time and see if that improves/ruins this “frosting”)
  • 8 ounces Cool Whip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9×13 inch pan and set aside. In a large bowl, prepare your cake mix batter according to the directions on the box. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a super strong whisking arm like mine), beat together the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and use an off-set spatula to spread evenly in the pan. Next, carefully pour the ricotta mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter. Gently spread the ricotta mixture so it evenly covers the cake batter. (The layers will switch while baking so the ricotta moves to the bottom and cake to the top – like magic or the scientific reason that ricotta weighs more than cake batter, whatever I am sticking with MAGIC.)

Bake for 60 minutes or until cake is set. Let cake cool completely before “frosting.”

Once the cake is cool, whisk together the pudding mix and milk until combined. Gently fold the Cool Whip into the pudding until combined. Spread the pudding mixture over the top of the cooled cake. Cover the cake and refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight, before serving. You know what -this cake SHOULD be called Love Cake because if I have to wait overnight to dive into this puppy I must really love you/it.

Not a very “pretty” picture but this is all I could sneak in as my coworkers devoured the cake.

IMG_6405

We are sending you all loads of Italian love this valentine’s day: tanti baci!

Happy Eating, XO.