A few weeks ago, I discovered a can of coconut milk sitting in the cabinet, about to expire. I hate wasting things, so my mind started whirling about what I could do with it. Coconut cake! It was nearly perfect. I'm still tweaking it, so, one day, in the next few months, I'll share that … Continue reading Toasted Coconut Custard
Now that Christmas has passed, our local markets seem to think it's time for summer, and so they stock the produce section with berries. Considering I live in Southern California, warm weather in January is possible (70s and sunny all week!), so I suppose they're not wrong about summer approaching. Alas, it isn't quite berry … Continue reading Triple Berry Muffins
About a year ago, I got it into my head that I'd like a kitchen scale and I'd like to figure out ratio baking. The Husband got me a kitchen scale for Christmas, probably because I wouldn't shut up about it, and then my brain panicked because it meant I should actually use it. I … Continue reading A Year of Adventures in Ratio Baking
A few weeks ago, I tried making custard using it's ratio of 2:1 dairy to eggs. Since it just says dairy, and since I just happened to have a can of sweetened condensed milk sitting around doing nothing, I thought, well, why not? Turns out there's a reason why I've never seen a custard recipe … Continue reading Adventures in Ratio Baking: Let’s Try Custard Again
Pie scares me. I've only ever made one pie from scratch before. A chocolate pie using a recipe. It wasn't bad. But I haven't made a pie since. It's probably been about 15 years. Now that I've been ratio baking, I've been trying to work my way through all the ratios. Of course there must … Continue reading Adventures in Ratio Baking: Apple Pie Time
I must thank Clever Girl Writes for this idea. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin. I enjoy one pumpkin pie a year, right around Thanksgiving, otherwise I couldn't care less about it. But now I have some guinea pigs...excuse me, my husband's colleagues, who just so happen to be scientists (who do not do … Continue reading Pumpkin Quick Bread
We're kind of an accordion when it comes to eggs. Some weeks I have to fight my husband for just 2 eggs so I can bake something. Other weeks I feel like we're drowning in eggs. Last Friday, my son had the day off from school. There were a bunch of fires in the general … Continue reading Adventures in Ratio Baking: Custard
My mom developed an autoimmune disorder called Myasthenia Gravis almost 20 years ago. It was difficult for her to manage for the first few years, but she eventually found out that a gluten-free diet helps her manage her symptoms almost as well as her medication. It was a little devastating at first as my mom … Continue reading Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Ah, October. A fine fall month complete with Halloween. It's a time for pumpkins and apples, for sweaters and golden leaves ripe for crunching underfoot. So, uh, why have I chosen to post a ratio recipe for a Black Forest Cake? October is also the month for Oktoberfest. Since I grew up in Southern California, … Continue reading Black Forest Inspired Cake
Why have a plain yellow cake if you can have a funfetti cake? That's the question my family asks. I don't know why, but sprinkles always make things better. Or maybe my kids just like dumping sprinkles into the cake batter. But I must admit, as a chocolate cake lover, even sprinkles will make me … Continue reading Funfetti Cake
The Lily Cafe 