This is a recipe for a one-layer black and white cake, which is a chocolate cake with white frosting. While you could certainly make this type of cake with a classic buttercream, I think a Swiss meringue buttercream (which is more of a science project) is a great complement to the simplicity of the chocolate cake. Make this black and white cake for any birthday or any celebration coming up!
…rustic cakes + loaves
Rosewater Snacking Cake
This rosewater cake is so easy to make, even non-bakers can make this cake without fail. And, the rose flavoring here could be anything – lemon, orange, grapefruit, berries, vanilla. Anything! I chose cardamom and rosewater because they bring a nice floral, Persian-inspired flavor to this dessert. There’s not very much oil, and you don’t need an electric mixer to make it. Make this snacking cake any time you want an easy elegant dessert.
…Peach and Blueberry Trifle Cake
Don’t be mad if you end up eating this peach and blueberry trifle recipe for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a healthy-ish, easy dessert that uses beautiful summer produce alongside an airy angel food cake and a greek yogurt-whipped cream filling. This peach and blueberry trifle is to die for!
…Cherry Pudding Cake
This cherry pudding cake is a mashup between a cake, a spoon bread, and a buckle. It’s tender on the outside, and quite soft in the middle (by design!). It’s also made with fresh cherries – this easy cherry cake comes together quickly and is a great cherry dessert idea.
…Olive Oil Cake with Fresh Plums
Here’s a recipe for olive oil cake with plums. Why? I love stone fruit. I love baking with olive oil. I had a bunch of plums from my CSA box this week that arrived ripely and by day 3 were about to peace out. This olive oil cake with plums has a tight crumb, and is perfect with a dollop of fresh cream or ice cream. Enjoy this olive oil plum cake in the summertime!
…Lemon Zucchini Cupcakes
I *love* baking with zucchini – don’t you agree? It makes it feel like what you’re baking has a semblance of health. These healthy lemon zucchini cupcakes are cupcakes for adults – they’re not too sweet, but feel just decadent enough. The cream cheese frosting is really special, too. It also features my foolproof lemon curd recipe — this lemon curd never breaks and always comes out. Try these lemon zucchini cupcakes this summer!
…Life-Changing Cornbread
Y’all. I’m sure there are a billion cornbread recipes out there but I just had this cornbread at a lunch hosted by the Husbands That Cook and I am shooketh. This is a moist cornbread recipe; it has a tight crumb and isn’t some crumbly waste-of-time BS cornbread. This is truly life-changing cornbread.
…Olive Oil Loaf with Strawberries & Greek Yogurt Whipped Cream
Here’s a gluten-free olive oil cake made with almond flour, scented with orange zest. It’s topped with Greek yogurt whipped cream and good with any fruit on top! You could make it as a loaf, as I did below, or in a cake pan.
…Flourless Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
This flourless, fallen chocolate olive oil cake is a showstopper. It’s leavened with egg whites so the top cracks and falls a little, which looks so elegant and rustic. This fallen chocolate olive oil cake will impress everyone.
…peanut butter banana bread (vegan, gluten-free)
Here is a recipe for banana bread that uses peanut butter to give it a really yummy, nutty flavor, and it’s also vegan and gluten-free! This peanut butter-banana bread could just as easily be made with almond butter or sunbutter, but I like peanut butter 🙂 This vegan banana bread is so easy to make and is perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea. It’s also super kid friendly!
orange-olive oil mini loaves (gluten free, dairy free, full use)
This is a recipe for mini orange-olive oil loaves that
healthy pumpkin spice bundt cake
Here’s a super Autumnal baking recipe: this pumpkin cake is all the best flavors of September + October in a bite. Made with pumpkin, maple syrup, and cardamom, and topped with a yogurt-cardamom glaze, it’s slightly healthier than the average bundt cake (but still a treat for sure). It’s my favorite pumpkin cake I’ve ever made, and the cardamom and maple syrup are such fall-y flavors.
olive oil cake with labneh and figs
This olive oil cake is topped with labneh and fresh figs and is scented with Grand Marnier. It’s a really sophisticated take on an olive oil cake. It’s not grainy at all, rather has a luxurious, smooth texture with a really creamy, tight crumb.
olive oil cake with figs and labneh
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upside down rhubarb cake for two
every year around this time, i begin to google “rhubarb recipes” in an effort to maximize rhubarb’s short season. rhubarb is one of my favorite seasonal vegetables (fruits? truly… what is it?)… and it’s surprisingly versatile. this is a quick recipe for an upside-down rhubarb cake that’s rustic and not the most beautiful looking, but really incredible tasting if you like the sweet-and-sour vibes of rhubarb. additionally, it’s not so big, so it’s a great dessert for two people. spring desserts!! enjoy!!
semolina cardamom rose cake
this semolina rosewater cake is a savory, sophisticated tea cake that is great for tea, breakfast, or dessert alongside some whipped cream. Semolina flour makes the cake’s crumb hearty and earthy, almost like a polenta cake. it would be perfect with a dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream, and almost certainly perfect for afternoon tea or morning coffee.
rustic apple tart
this is a pretty freeform, rustic apple tart recipe that is more art than science. in the fall, come apple season, easy rustic tarts are a quick way to celebrate and use up your apples that you got apple picking. make this apple tart anytime you have a ton of apples!
easy lemon yogurt cake
This easy lemon yogurt cake is perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea. it’s tender, the crumb is perfect, and the flavor is bright. another thing this easy lemon yogurt cake recipe does — it utilizes a yogurt cup as a measurement tool so you save dishes. i actually adapted this from a french parenting book – “bringing up bebe.” haha!
