Nectarine Coconut Teacakes

September 28, 2017

OK, yes, it is officially fall, but I can't get the fact that you can still find delicious and amazing stone fruit at the farmer's market. Case in point, Tenerelli Orchards who sells at the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmer's Market. They seriously have the BEST nectarines right now! I always feel so lucky to live in Santa Monica where I have access to the best fruits, veggies and organic local meat. It's really so hard to not spend all our grocery money in a matter of a couple hours. :)

This week I knew I wanted to feature these gorgeous nectarines in a lovely teacake. And what better way than little mini tea cakes?! I baked these in a 12 cup standard muffin/cupcake pan and they came out perfect! I love the size and how it gave each piece a little crunchy crust but still was light and fluffy in the middle. Also using coconut shavings and cream made it the perfect amount of coconuty-ness ( I know that's not a word). Next up I'm going to try a vegan version of this since it already uses minimal eggs and butter.

Couple of tips...

- Splurge for really yummy delicious organic fruit. It really does make a difference in your final product.
- Make sure to not slice your nectarine for the bottom of the pan too thin. Some of mine ended up sticking to the bottom of the pan which is a bummer since you want these beauties to end up on the teacakes!
- Do not skimp on buttering your pan!! Seriously. This is where you need to ensure they don't stick to your pan after turning out.
- I really love making my own vanilla sugar and this adds a little extra finesse when you see the tops of your nectarines with little vanilla bean specs. I highly recommend using vanilla sugar vs. just plain sugar.
- Make sure you use unsweetened coconut cream. It could be too much of a sugar overload if you don't.
- You can easily double the recipe to make 24 teacakes.

Nectarine Coconut Teacakes
Makes 1 Dozen Teacakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened (56 grams)
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon orange zest (paige or navel)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup coconut cream, unsweetened
1/2 cup desiccated coconut, unsweetened
1 medium sized nectarine, sliced to be slightly thinner than 1/2 inch
organic vanilla sugar or regular organic sugar (for the pan)
1-2 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter (for the pan)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Take your 12-cup muffin/cupcake non-stick pan and butter each of the sections throughly. Make sure to get the sides and bottoms with a nice even coating. From there, take your vanilla sugar (or regular sugar) and sprinkle the bottoms of each section. You don't need to over do it. It's just a light sprinkling to give each cake some nice caramelization.

2. Slice up your nectarine and place a few small pieces on the bottom of each section. usually about 3-4 pieces. Set aside additional slices to add on top of the cake batter. Set aside pan until ready to fill with batter.

3. In a medium bowl, add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour and baking soda. Whisk together to incorporate.

4. In a stand mixer bowl, add butter, sugar, salt and orange zest. Using your paddle attachment on your mixer, cream butter, sugar and other ingredients together until it's light and fluffy. Should take about 3-4 minutes.

5. Using a spatula, scrape down the edge of the bowl. With the mixer on, add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.

6. Switch your mixer to low. Now, alternating between mixed flours and your coconut cream, add some of your dries and then add some coconut cream, repeat until both have been fully incorporated. Turn off your mixer immediately so you don't overmix. Remove bowl from mixer and add in your shredded coconut. Fold in by hand until just incorporated.

7. Using a cupcake scooper, distribute the batter evenly in each of the sections of the pan. It should fill a little more than 1/2 way. Smooth out the tops of the batter with an offset spatula or spoon. Then add 1-2 slices of nectarines on each cake.

8. Pop them into the oven and bake for about 20 -25 minutes. Rotate at least once after about 14 minutes. Cakes will be done when the tops are slightly springy and golden brown on the edges. You can also try the clean toothpick test but I noticed mine still needed a few minutes even though the toothpick came out clean.

9. Allow teacakes to rest in the pan for about 4 minutes. Then turn the cakes out on a wire rack. If not all of them come out easily then run a thin pairing knife along the edges of the few that seem to be sticking. You can also turn them out very quickly and firmly on a cutting board.

9. Cakes can last at room temp for 4 days but can last longer in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy cakes at room temp.

Blood Orange Rosemary Olive Oil Teacake

May 7, 2017

I'm pretty in love with this tea cake because it's sooo pretty to look at AND it's delicious! Best of both worlds. ;) I am a huge huge fan of using fresh herbs with fresh fruit because life's too short to stay in your swim lane. With citruses all the craze right now at farmer's markets, this is a serious need to bake teacake and wonderful for breakfast or for afternoon coffee/tea.

I mean, how beautiful are these blood oranges?! I'm in serious heaven!! My favorite part about this recipe is during the first part of candying the oranges where your kitchen will smell like this amazing citrus sweet symphony. Then, you add in the rosemary and POW. You actually end up with this incredible syrup that can be used to flavor cocktails or sparkling water mocktails. :D This is the gift that keeps giving!

Note: Do not slice your oranges too thin or else they'll just boil down to nothing. Also, minimize your stirring when the peel is simmering in your sugar water. The more you stir, the less pulp you'll have on that rind. You want to keep as much of this in tact as possible for that pretty lining on your cake.

There are a few parts to this cake but don't let that scare you off. Keep calm and bake on. Also, feel free to add other citrus cousins to this cake if you are so inclined to! I've added kumquats and it pairs wonderfully.

Couple of notes on your ingredients: Go with organic oranges. I REALLY think this makes all the difference. The sweeter and better the fruit, the BETTER THE CAKE! Same goes with the olive oil used in this cake. I LOVE my California Olive Oil so suggest you use your favorite olive oil for these yummy cakes. Happy baking!

Blood Orange Rosemary Olive Oil Teacake
Makes one 9" x 5" bread loaf (Approx 7-8 slices)

Candied Fruit Bottom

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 medium blood oranges, cleaned well & sliced semi-thin
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Almond Paste

3 oz. super fine almond flour
1.25 oz powdered sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Cake

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
zest from 1 medium navel orange
2 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
3 large eggs, room temp

1. Start by making the candied fruit. In a medium saucepan on medium high heat, add water and sugar together. Lightly stir together until sugar melts. Bring to a simmer.

2. Add in sliced oranges layering on top of each other. You want the oranges to just barely sit at the same level as the water after adding into the pot. Lower heat to simmer and keep oranges there for 17-20 minutes until tender. Remember to stir every now and then but be VERY gentle as to not break the peels. They will become more fragile as they cook.

3. Remove orange slices and place on a cooling rack to dry. Use the remaining orange sugar water and add rosemary sprigs. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Add a little water if needed and toss the rosemary so it's covered in the sugar water. Remove rosemary and place on the cooling rack.

4. Keep 1-2 rosemary sprigs in tact and toss in sugar to coat them. Set these aside to garnish for the top of your loaf if desired. Take the rest of the rosemary on the other sprigs off and give them a good chop and set aside. (Note: Save your leftover syrup for drinks or flavoring other things!)

5. Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously butter a 9x5 bread loaf.

6. Layer cooled candied orange slices on the bottom of the pan layer on top so they are an even layer covering the bottom of the pan. Take chopped rosemary and sprinkle on top of the orange peel in the pan.

7. Start the cake batter by making the almond paste. Add almond flour, sifted powdered sugar and the large egg together in a small mixing bowl. Stir until well incorporated into a paste, set aside.

8. Next, work on the rest of the cake batter. In a medium bowl, add your dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest. Whisk to incorporate together and set aside.

9. In a stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment, add almond paste, canola oil, olive oil, and sugar. Careful, the oil may splash during mixing! Whisk together on slow at first then increase speed to medium until all the ingredients are incorporated. One egg at a time, add and beat without adding the next until the egg has been incorporated. Batter will start to get thick and creamy then add milk and orange juice.

9. Switch the mixer to lowest setting ("stir") and mix in dry ingredients in 1/2 of a cup at a time. Careful not to overmix the dry ingredients. Once all the dry is incorporated, turn the mixer on medium and beat for 5 seconds. Turn off right away! (I love giving my cake batter a little taste at this time. Sooo yummy!)

10. Pour prepared batter into the orange and rosemary lined bread pan. Spread with a spatula so it's even in the pan. Give the pan a light tapping on your countertop just to get rid of any air bubbles but do not tap too many times because of your oranges on the bottom. Place into heated oven and bake for 45mins-1hr until deep brown. Rotate the pan once 70% of the way through baking. Do not remove from the oven unless a toothpick comes out clean!

11. Let it cool in the pan for 20minutes. Invert on a cooling rack and let it cool completely. At this point you can brush the cake with the remaining orange/rosemary syrup or leave as is.

12. Slice and enjoy!! Keep in an airtight container or plastic wrap for 4-5 days.

My First Pop-Up!

May 2, 2017

This past weekend was one of the most rewarding and soul-fulfilling weekends I've ever had!! For those who don't know, I partnered with local Santa Monica coffee roasters, Cafe Demitasse, to take over their pastry case for the weekend selling my bakes exclusively. This was a few months of talks, menu planning, recipe testing, produce shopping and then pumping out schedules, marketing materials and more!

I knew it would be something that would take a tremendous amount of work. What I didn't know was that we would sell out within hours of the event starting!! I'm still feeling the high and exhilaration of seeing all the smiling faces and empty plates coming back. I won't forget the near distant "mMMmms" and people telling me "SO GOOD" "DELISH" and "AMAZING!" as they walked out to carry out their weekend plans.

Here are photos from the weekend along with my beloved menu. I made 380+ pieces all on my own which was the largest amount I've ever had to make! Luckily I had my hubby as my Sous Chef on baking mornings where we woke up at 2:30am to bake off everything off. My other very best friend and cousin helped me prep more pieces on Saturday night for Sunday. I seriously couldn't have pulled this off without them.

Both days we sold out and within a few hours. For the next one I'll DEF need to make more items. Crowd favorites were all different surprisingly! Saturday the Matcha Maple Pavs were the last to go but on Sunday they were the first! The Breakfast Pie was a hit on both days and so were the Whisky Cherry Pies.

I have to admit... I often (still) struggle with my path and baking talents (even after the show and everything!) and whether or not my bakes are good enough to "cut" it. After this event, I realized that the overwhelming positive feedback from friends, families, strangers and industry foodies, that my happy place is making good food and people happy through my food! I plan to ride out this overwhelming joy in my heart for as long as possible as I plan my next steps. :)

For those who showed up and we were sold out of goodies, please message me and we can arrange a pie or pavlova commission!

Thanks again everyone and can't wait to let you know about future events/plans!! xoxox.