Gluten Free Carrot Cake

September 26, 2013 Samantha Seneviratne

Do you like mysterious grain of the Aztec? I love it! It makes a great lunch with some roasted veggies or a nice dinner with a piece of fish. And it’s super nutritious. Bonus! Wait, what’s that? You have no idea what mysterious grain of the Aztec is? Of course you do. It’s sooo hot right now.

Oh, hold on! That’s right. You might not call it mysterious grain of the Aztec in your house. You probably think that sounds ridiculous. Normal people know it by its slightly more common name - quinoa. Mysterious grain of the Aztec is just what my family called it. Yup. If you were at our house in the 90's you might have heard someone say, “Hey, are you going to make any mysterious grain of the Aztec? Great! I’m hungry.”

Honeyed Fig Shortcake with Hazelnut Biscuits

September 12, 2013 Samantha Seneviratne

About 30 years ago LeVar Burton ate a fig. I was just a chubby-cheeked kiddo watching Reading Rainbow but I remember it like it was yesterday. I had never seen a fig and I wanted one desperately. LeVar made them look so heavenly. Pretty purple. Jammy. Sweet. I longed to try one myself. Maybe while reading a book. Figs were so special. So unattainable. So mysterious. So lovely. I might have also had a little crush on LeVar.

Crêpe Cake with Pistachio Cream

August 22, 2013 Samantha Seneviratne

We should talk about crêpe cakes. If you ask me, everyone should talk about crêpe cakes. Why aren’t more people talking about crêpe cakes? I think it’s because crêpe cakes are sneaky. They look boring from the top. Practically bland. There’s no swirly frosting or whipped cream to seduce you. And they’re tan. Just tan. You might look at a crêpe cake and want to walk on by. But I urge you to stop. Crêpe cakes have this seductive split personality that you’re going to want to explore. The crêpes are all proper, prim, and vanilla-scented lace. They’re ladylike and discreet. But between each crêpe is a layer of oozy, out of control, luscious custard that just wants to sneak out of its crêpe cage and give you a kiss. Together they’re just amazing. Not too sweet. Rich yet restrained. Simple and so tricky. A perfect dessert.

Black Velvet Apricot Almond Cake

August 1, 2013 Samantha Seneviratne

Guess what? I found an exciting hybrid fruit at the market the other day. I know hybrid fruit doesn’t sound all that appetizing but Black Velvet Apricots might be worth some hype. Fruit has hype in my world. Have you heard of them? They're really something. I know - the name is just a little too sensual for an innocent piece of fruit, right? Maybe that's just because I can’t stop singing about that little boy’s smile while I bake.

Lemon Raspberry Pound Cake

June 28, 2013 Samantha Seneviratne

Do you remember Sara Lee pound cakes? I haven’t eaten one in some time but I still think about them. They were just the kind of convenience food that had a prominent place in our house growing up. We loved Entenmann’s too. My family didn’t discriminate when it came to premade, packaged cakes. (I’m not sure where I ever got the idea to bake something from scratch.)