No-Churn Mocha Ice Cream

So, have you made Nigella Lawson's no-churn coffee ice cream? It's ridiculously easy and delicious, and when I discovered how simple it was to make really good ice cream with just a mixer, I was tempted to get rid of my ice cream machine!

To make the no-churn ice cream, you beat heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and flavorings until it's nice and thick, then freeze the ice cream. That's all there is to it! The only thing is that I'm not a big fan of cooking with sweetened condensed milk--there's so much refined sugar in it, and I try to avoid that whenever I can.



So I decided to try making my own sweetened condensed milk using maple syrup, with some guidance from this recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring. The homemade sweetened condensed milk takes a while to make, but your house will smell amazing. You do have to watch it pretty closely but don't have to stir it constantly, so it's a good time to do some cleaning or other tasks around the kitchen. I got a lot of dishes done while I was making it! (Anything that gets me to do more dishes is good, and pretty rare.)

The results are so much more delicious than canned sweetened condensed milk! The maple flavor adds a caramel note to the ice cream that goes perfectly with the chocolate and coffee. In addition to working beautifully in this ice cream, the maple-sweetened condensed milk is amazing in hot or iced coffee.

Golden Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

How were your Easter and/or Passover celebrations? Ben and I had a few people over on Saturday and then went to another Easter dinner on Sunday. I won a pork crown roast from Snake River Farms over at Rhubarbarians, and it was pretty great. I also made this cake--we enjoyed one of the layers on Saturday, and brought the other one, pictured here, to the party on Sunday.

So, yes, I've been sitting on this cake recipe for an entire week. I apologize! I had one of those very busy weeks that I should have seen coming, but instead somehow managed to take me completely by surprise. Am I the only one that happens to? Between papers and evaluation reports and trying to get at least a little shuteye, it took me all week just to edit these photos.

Fried Banana Brownie Cake with Honey Whipped Cream

It was my birthday on Saturday, and I had an amazing day.  I started the morning by opening the present Ben got for me, which was a Kitchen Aid stand mixer!  I've wanted one for years, and finally feel like I count as a real food blogger now that I own one.  I haven't used it yet because I have need to clear a special spot for it in the kitchen, but I've been peering into the box every few hours and just kind of smiling at it.  After opening my mixer, I met up with a friend to go for a run, and then went home and moved a bunch of furniture and hung pictures with Ben.  (Our landlords have been renovating our apartment, so we have a lot of rearranging to do.  One secret about me is that I love organizing things around the house, even though I put it off like crazy and almost never do it.  I am not at all sure why I dread it so much, because once I get started I really enjoy it.  So, oddly enough, moving furniture and hanging pictures was one of my favorite parts of the day.)

My mom, Ben, and I went to dbar for dinner, which is within walking distance of our apartment and is one of my favorite restaurants ever.  Pro tip: it starts gradually turning into a nightclub around 10 pm on Friday and Saturday.  I've never been able to convince anyone to stay with me for that phase, but we got to witness the beginning of the transformation last night: one of the waiters walked by, casually pushed a button on his bracelet, and made a screen drop from the ceiling.  No big deal.

Mini Grasshopper Parfaits + Epica Cocktail Muddler Review

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.

I thought about calling these mini grasshopper fools, but that sounded like a bit much.  

Have you ever tried a fool?  It's an old-fashioned dessert consisting of pureed or mashed fruit, usually berries, folded into sweetened whipped cream.  I made a strawberry moscato fool last spring, and it was delicious. These parfaits are similar to fools, but with mint instead of fruit.  They're the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (or any day).

(In case I lost you at "grasshopper", I use the term to describe minty desserts, usually also involving chocolate. The name was first used for a green cocktail made with creme de menthe.)

Cranberry Orange Tart (Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free) & Pompeian Grapeseed Oil

I had this bag of cranberries left over from Thanksgiving that was begging to be used up, and it had been far too long since I'd made any kind of a curd.  The folks at Pompeian sent me a bottle of their grapeseed oil spray, and it gave me the perfect idea: a cranberry orange tart that would give me the chance to use up my cranberries, make a curd, and finally do something with my tart pan.

I am so pleased with how this tart turned out!  Just looking at it makes me really happy.  The cranberry orange curd is just tart enough, but still plenty sweet thanks to the honey.  The crust is a delicious combination of almonds and pecans with a touch of Pompeian olive oil.  The whipped cream on top seals the deal.  Also, how gorgeous are those cranberries and those orange zest curls?  I'm obsessed with looking at pictures of this tart.  And also with eating it.  I did share some with my mom, though, and she said it was one of the best things I've ever made!  If you don't have cranberries on hand, this tart would also be fabulous with any other kind of curd--try classic lemon, dairy-free lemon, or strawberry.  The curd possibilities are endless!  This cranberry orange curd would be equally delicious on pancakes, toast, scones or ice cream if you don't feel like making a tart.  A jar of curd also makes a wonderful homemade gift!

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Pie (Gluten-free, No-bake)

This pie is so easy, and so good!  If you already have your caramel sauce made (try salted caramel, salted maple caramel, or even store-bought), there is no cooking required--just a few rounds of food processing.  And, in case you need another reason to make this, there's pumpkin involved!  There's also caramel, whipped cream, and a delicious two-ingredient crust.  The cheesecake layer is rich, but not overpowering--I think even people who don't love cheesecake will probably love this.  

The recipe has several components, but they are all easy to whip up in the food processor.  You don't even really need to wash it in between layers.  Also, it's so much fun to press the crust into the pan, smooth all these amazing things on top, swirl in some caramel, and sprinkle on a few pepitas.  It's almost as much fun to make this pie as it is to eat it!

I made this for two hungry podcasters, and they both loved it.  Even though Ben at first insisted he "didn't want a piece right now", he changed his tune as soon as he laid eyes on my slice.  Basically, this pie is irresistible!

Triple Berry Almond Clafoutis

Berries and almonds go together well (see evidence here, here, and here).  So when I saw a clafoutis recipe that called for almond extract, I figured it would be even better with actual almonds, too.  And while I haven't tried this recipe without almonds, I'm pretty sure I'm right.

Wait!  Did I forget to tell you what a clafoutis is?  When Ben woke up this morning and I told him what I was making, he made some really good joke about doing Krav Maga in footie pajamas.  I think he thought I said krav footie?  Anyway, a clafoutis is a French cake that's basically pancake batter poured over fruit (traditionally cherries) and baked.  I guess it's a dessert, but I made it for breakfast.  With lots of eggs and fruit and just a little flour, sugar, and butter, I think it's totally healthy enough to be the first thing you eat in the morning.

Oh, and it's delicious!  It's almost like a custard, bursting with berries, and with a sweet almond crunch on top.  Bonus--it's really easy to make.  Without much trouble at all you can impress all your friends with your sweet culinary skills and knowledge of obscure dessert vocabulary in French.  Win-win-win (there was a third winning point in there somewhere, right?).

Ingredients (makes 8 servings; adapted from Bon Appetit and King Arthur):

3 cups mixed berries (I used frozen blueberries and fresh raspberries & blackberries)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
1/2 vanilla bean
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Powdered sugar and whipped cream*, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly butter a 9 inch round cake pan and put the berries in it.  If your cake pan is 2 inches deep, that's perfect.  If it's 1 1/2 inches deep like mine, put it on a baking sheet just in case.  I didn't have any overflow but it was close!  This thing puffs up a lot.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool.  Place the 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium bowl, and scrape in the vanilla bean seeds.  Use your fingers to rub them together to evenly distribute the vanilla--this will make sure you don't end up with a few huge chunks of vanilla bean seeds.  Add the eggs, salt, almond extract, milk, and butter and whisk to combine.  Add the flour gradually, whisking until most of the lumps are gone.  Pour the batter over the fruit.  Top with the sliced almonds and then the two teaspoons of sugar.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until the custard is set and the top is golden brown.  Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the clafoutis.  Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature, with powdered sugar and whipped cream if desired.

Refrigerate any leftovers you don't plan to eat within a few hours.  While clafoutis will keep in the fridge for two or three days, it's best on the day it's made.

*My new favorite way to whip cream is in a mason jar!  Put about 2/3 cup of heavy cream, a tablespoon of powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla in a jar.  Screw the lid on tightly and shake til it's ready (3-5 minutes).

Coconut Frappuccino

I love having time off in the summer--right now I'm taking four classes to get ready for my speech & language program, but I only have class three days a week.  Tuesday and Friday I'm relaxing.  This morning I went to Whole Foods, and I was practically the only one there!  I am really living the life.

Anyway, I had big plans to do dishes, clean out the fridge, etc. today, and I still have those plans.  But when I got back from the grocery store I needed a pick me up, and I decided it needed to be frosty and fancy.  After staring at the now-cold coffee in the machine and the cans of coconut milk I had just picked up (it's a pantry staple around here), I got this idea.

This frappuccino is super rich and delicious, but it's also vegan.  To lighten it up a little, you could use light coconut milk and skip the whipped cream.  Also, if it were later in the day, I would totally add Kahlua to this.  It wants to happen.  Especially because it's Friday.

P.S. How cute are these straws?  I've been wanting striped straws forever and these ones are made of compostable biodegradable paper!  I got mine here (that's an affiliate link--I will make 22¢ if you click on it and buy some straws :)).

Ingredients (serves 2):

About 8 ice cubes, or more to taste
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cold or at room temp
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons agave nectar, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or coconut whipped cream, for serving
Coconut flakes, for serving

Blend together the ice, coffee, coconut milk, agave, and vanilla in a blender until smooth.  Taste and add more ice or agave if desired.  Serve topped with whipped cream and a sprinkling of coconut flakes (they would be even more fabulous toasted, but I was too lazy).  Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcakes with Balsamic Chocolate Glaze

A while ago, I asked what recipes my friends wanted to see on the blog, and my friend Eva suggested strawberry shortcakes.  I didn't get to it right away, but had been working on it in the back of my mind. I wanted to make strawberry shortcakes, but I wanted to kick them up a notch.  So I asked myself: what's normally missing from strawberry shortcakes?

Drumroll . . . chocolate!  (And balsamic vinegar, obvi.)  I'd been wanting to try a balsamic chocolate syrup ever since a friend of mine brought chocolate balsamic vinegar and a quart of vanilla ice cream to a Valentine's party I hosted years ago.  So, here it is!  Strawberry shortcakes enhanced with a tangy balsamic chocolate glaze.  If the glaze weirds you out or you want a more classic dessert, you can make them without.  But, I suggest you give chocolate balsamic a chance!

This recipe looks a little complex, and it does have a lot of components.  But, the strawberries and balsamic chocolate glaze can be made the day before and stored in the fridge.  Bring the strawberries back to room temperature while you make the biscuits, and reheat the glaze until it's pourable.  The shortcakes are easy and bake up fast, and the whipped cream is ready in no time.



A word about these shortcakes: they are really good!  I am already getting excited about having the leftover ones for breakfast with a little butter and jam.  Normally I don't trust baked goods from Cooking Light, but was won over by the brown sugar and nuts in this recipe.  The shortcakes aren't nutty, but the pecans and brown sugar give them a rich flavor and they aren't overly sweet.



Also, this is what I'm bringing to this month's virtual chocolate party hosted by Roxana's Home Baking!  Check out what everyone else is bringing here.

Ingredients (serves 6; you'll have 6 extra shortcakes):

1 pound organic strawberries, trimmed and sliced
2 teaspoons sugar

For the shortcakes (adapted from Cooking Light):

2 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup toasted pecans (or almonds), finely chopped
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 1/2 tablespoons very cold butter (1/3 cup)
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%) or buttermilk
Extra flour for rolling
Sugar for sprinkling

For the balsamic chocolate glaze:

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1/2 vanilla bean
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream, or coconut cream scraped from the top of one can of chilled coconut milk
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Toss the strawberries to coat with the sugar and set aside.

To make the glaze, place the vinegar in a small saucepan, and add the seeds from half a vanilla bean.  Cook over medium heat until the vinegar starts to boil, then reduce the heat to low.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar is thickened and reduced by half, about 40 minutes.  Add the sugar and the chocolate to the saucepan and stir until smooth.

To make the shortcakes, preheat the oven to 450 and combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl.  Grate in the butter with a cheese grater (this is why you need it really cold!).  Mix with your fingers until the mixture is uniform and resembles coarse sand.  Add the milk or buttermilk and mix just until combined.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough lightly five times.  Pat it out until it's about half an inch thick, and use a biscuit cutter or something else round--I used a small jar--to cut out circles about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.  Place the shortcakes on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with a little sugar.  Bake for about ten minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

To make the whipped cream, add the vanilla bean seeds to the cream in a large bowl.  Beat on high until soft peaks form, then sift in the powdered sugar and beat again until stiff peaks form.

To serve, cut each shortcake in half and top with strawberries.  Drizzle with balsamic chocolate glaze, and top with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

Mint Mocha Ice Cream Cake

Okay guys, this is it.  If you are looking for a birthday treat that will be good but nothing over-the-top, DON'T pick this.  This is actually a seven-layer ice cream cake.  If you like seven-layer dip, you need to know this cake is nothing like it.  This cake is so much better, it's almost wrong to mention seven-layer dip in the same sentence.

Have you made slutty brownies yet?  They have a brownie layer, an Oreo layer, and a chocolate chip cookie layer.  For this cake, those extravagant bars are baked in a round springform pan.  Two kinds of ice cream are smoothed on top, then the whole thing is coated with vanilla bean whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate ganache.  BOOM.

This cake is adapted from the Slutty Brownie Ice Cream Cake on What's Gaby Cooking, one of my favorite food blogs ever.  Since the cake was for my boyfriend's birthday, I had to let him pick the ice cream flavors.  When he chose mint chocolate chip and coffee oreo, I was a little bit skeptical.  I love both those flavors independently, but together?  I wasn't so sure.

Well, I have to give credit to the birthday boy--it was fabulous!  A mint mocha in ice cream cake form.  There are lots of other flavor combinations that would be amazing, though!  I hope you try your own version of this for your next over-the-top occasion.

Note:  Like many ice cream cakes, this is a little bit of a plan-ahead project.  I baked the slutty brownies on Tuesday, layered on the ice creams and froze everything yesterday, and added the whipped cream and ganache today.  

Ingredients:

1 recipe slutty brownies, baked in a 9-inch springform pan (underbake them a little--brownie layer should be a little jiggly--so they won't be too hard once they're frozen)

1 pint coffee oreo ice cream, softened

1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean, divided

Pinch of salt

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2 tablespoons brewed coffee

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons powdered sugar, sifted

When the slutty brownies are completely cool, top with one of the pints of ice cream and smooth with a spatula.  Freeze for 2 hours or more, then repeat with the other ice cream flavor.  Freeze for at least two hours again.

To make the chocolate ganache, roughly chop the chocolate and set aside in a medium bowl.  Place 1/2 cup heavy cream and the coffee, granulated sugar and salt in a small saucepan.  Scrape in the seeds of half a vanilla bean (save the other half for the whipped cream).  Heat the cream mixture until scalded (about to boil), then pour it over the chocolate.  Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.  Set aside to cool before using.

To make the whipped cream, combine the remaining cup of heavy cream and the seeds from the other half of the vanilla bean in a large bowl.  Beat on high using an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and beat again to combine or until stiff peaks form.

To serve, remove the ice cream cake from the springform pan.  Spread the whipped cream on top, then drizzle on the chocolate ganache.  Slice and go crazy!