The idea of baked doughnuts has intrigued me for some time except that I really, really, really love any form of deep-fried dough. Actually, deep-fried anything excites me. So, when I finally ventured into the world of baked doughnuts, I had low expectations because how could a baked doughnut come even close to satisfying the craving for a sweet, deep-fried treat?

Boy, was I wrong. This baked doughnut recipe is fantastic, and I want to make it over and over again.

The recipe is super easy to throw together. No mixer required. It yields six baked doughnuts, which is the perfect number of doughnuts to make considering that they are best served the day they are made.

The doughnuts are cake-like, soft but slightly dense on the inside, and lightly crispy on the outside. Coating them with granulated sugar enhances their crispy texture. I definitely wouldn't use powdered sugar on these. I love the rougher texture the granulated sugar brings.

This recipe, adapted from here, is simply flavored with just a splash of vanilla and a hint of nutmeg. I opted to use vanilla extract instead of the recommended vanilla bean to be sure that the vanilla flavor came through. The flavors are perfect as is, but I can't wait to play some more with the recipe and try different spices or even some lemon zest.

Baked doughnuts

    Makes 6 doughnuts

• 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) full-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup (112 grams) granulated sugar, plus more for coating the doughnuts
• 1/4 cup (~60 mL) vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare six doughnut pans by greasing them with Pam or some vegetable oil. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and set them aside for later.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pinch of nutmeg. Set the dry ingredients aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and the egg. Switch to a spatula and stir in the dry ingredients.
4. Fill a pastry bag (without a tip) with the batter and pipe it evenly among the prepared doughnut pans. The batter should reach about half way up the inside of each doughnut pan.
5. Bake the doughnuts for 12–16 minutes until the top edges begin to turn golden brown.
6. Remove the rimmed baking sheet from the oven and let the doughnuts cool for about 5 minutes before tossing them in the extra granulated sugar.

I went shopping for skinny jeans this week. I know you're wondering why on earth I'd bring up the topic of skinny jeans in a food blog, but skinny jeans shopping was a huge deal in my little world. You see, what I have been calling "skinny jeans" up until now are not actually skinny jeans. They don't really hug my curves in any way, and they are quite bulky at the knee. They hang off my hips in a way that offends my father, but I can't be bothered to wear a belt (sorry dad!). Enough said. I think you get the point.

So I went skinny jeans shopping with A and her sister V. We went to this place that's called "Jeans Jeans Jeans!" that carries so many brands/styles of jeans that they are hung from floor to ceiling. I went in with the attitude that I needed to try on a pair of skinny jeans to remind myself of why I don't wear them. Instead, I got served by a man (possibly the owner) who set out to prove me wrong.

The man even judged with a very serious "No." when I tried on pairs that were just wrong for me. Did you know that if a pair of jeans creates the dreaded "muffin top" on you that the jeans just aren't cut for your shape, and not (necessarily) that you should be hitting the gym a little harder? It's true! I learned this!

Within an hour, I left with two hemmed pairs of skinny jeans, and I even received a pep-talk on the way out from the man that helped me find them. I now own skinny jeans!

Okay, so I now own skinny jeans BUT I have yet to leave the comfort of my home with them on.

It's a process.

I've worn them in front of my mirror a few times. I'm mentally preparing myself to eventually wear them out in public.

These cranberry meringue tarts may or may not help me put on those skinny jeans and walk out that door.

When you make these, broiling (or blow torching) the meringue is a must. The burning turns a blah, one-noted sweet white blob into this dreamy, smoky, caramelized meringue. It's kind of like a toasted marshmallow.

I used Martha Stewart's pâte sucrée recipe for the crust. It made 6 regular tart shells (baked in a standard muffin tin) and 8 mini tart shells (patched together with scraps and baked in a mini muffin tray). Martha claims that you could squeeze out 12 tarts from this dough, but I don't see how unless you want them to have seriously thin crusts. In any case, this recipe yields crispy, flaky tart shells that aren't overly sweet. They are perfect vessels for curd and meringue.

I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light to make the cranberry raspberry curd. I used a combination of frozen cranberries and frozen raspberries because I'm moving so my goal is to empty the freezer. I changed the cooking method slightly and the end result was a tangy cranberry raspberry curd that set perfectly and was so delicious I ate more than I should have by the spoonful. The jewel-toned color is fantastic, and the tangy flavor can't be beat.

Cranberry raspberry meringue tarts

    Makes 6 individual tarts + 8 tartelettes (or 12 individual tarts)

Crust ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
• 4 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cups (115 grams) unsalted butter cold, cut
• 1 egg yolks (from large egg)
• 2 or more tbsp ice cold water

Cranberry raspberry curd ingredients
• 300 grams frozen cranberries
• 40 grams frozen raspberries
• 1 cup (225 grams) granulated sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup (188 mL) water, divided
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 egg yolks (from large eggs)
• 1/4 cup (28 grams) cornstarch
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

Meringue ingredients
• 3 egg whites (from large egg)
• 1/4 cup (56 grams) granulated sugar
• Pinch cream of tartar

To make the crust
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and the salt.
2. Drop the cubes of cold butter into the flour and slowly work them into the flour with your fingertips. If the butter gets too soft, put the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes. You're aiming for the mixture to have a coarse texture.
3. Add the egg yolk and 2 tbsp water. Mix it in with your fingers, being careful to not let the dough get too warm. Continue adding enough water (1 tbsp at a time) until the dough just comes together when pressed.
4. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about an hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll the dough to an 1/8th of an inch. Cut the rolled dough into as many 4-inch circles as you can and carefully fit them into the cups of a muffin tray. Line the remaining standard muffin cups and 8 of the cups of a mini-muffin tray with the remaining dough scraps.
6. Prick the bottoms of the crusts with a fork. Freeze the trays for 15 minutes before baking. Line each of the crusts with a square of parchment, and fill them with dried beans. Bake the crusts for 15 minutes, remove the beans/linings, and bake for an additional 5 or so minutes, until the edges are golden.
7. Let the crusts cool, then carefully unmold.

To make the cranberry curd
8. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, raspberries, 112 grams of sugar, and 1/4 cup of water. Heat the mixture on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until the cranberries burst and soften.
9. Whisk together the egg yolks, 113 grams of sugar, 1/2 cup water, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. While whisking constantly, ladle into the bowl a couple scoops of the hot cranberry mixture to temper the eggs. Then transfer the egg mixture to the saucepan.
10. Continue heating, stirring constantly, until the temperature reaches 160°F.
11. Strain the mixture into a bowl, pressing the leftover fruit to extract all the juices. Transfer the curd back to the saucepan with the butter, and heat on medium, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened, and becomes glossy and no longer starchy.
12. Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the cranberry raspberry curd to a jar to prevent any further cooking.
13. Spoon the curd into the cooled tart shells, and refrigerate them for one hour.

Meringue ingredients
14. In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the whisk attachment to whisk together the egg whites and the sugar over a pan of simmering water. Heat the egg whites until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture is hot to touch.
15. Attach the bowl/whisk to the mixer and whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add a pinch of cream of tartar, and then continue beating on medium-high speed until the meringue forms medium, glossy peaks.
16. Turn the oven on to broil. Dollop (or pipe) the meringue over the curd-filled crusts. Broil them on a baking sheet on the top rack so that the meringue tops are nice and toasty. Serve immediately.

Have you ever been to see an osteopath? I hadn't before last Monday. I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was completely unprepared for what was about to happen when I walked into the office that Monday evening.

I started seeing the osteopath to relieve the shoulder pain I've been experience for years. There was a lot of pressing and poking. There were even air punches. Yes, air punches where the osteopath was using my left arm to punch the air. I felt awkward, a little stupid, mildly embarrassed, and I spent most of the appointment trying desperately to hold back the laughter. I didn't mean any disrespect to the science of osteopathy when I was quasi-laughing, but I was more laughing at myself in this situation. Maybe I lack maturity, but I found the whole thing rather funny.

My shoulder really hurts and I need it fixed, but when I was rolling back and forth over the osteopaths arm to apparently work out stiffness in my back, I'm pretty sure I giggled a few times. I had no idea that a session with an osteopath would be a full-body experience. Osteopathy has worked for a number of people, so I'm going to keep going, but I kind of wish there was a camera there to record the session so that I could get a good laugh later while indulging in a few of these tea-flavored chocolate truffles.

These chocolate truffles (adapted from here) make me forget (albeit temporarily) the embarrassment I felt at my first osteo appointment. The truffles are perfectly smooth, mildly floral and citrusy from the lavender and Earl grey. You could infuse the cream with any of your favorite teas/herbs, but I love Earl grey and lavender. For a more pronounced flavor, double up on the tea and infuse the cream for longer.

Earl grey lavender chocolate truffles

    Makes about 24 truffles

• 2/3 cup ( mL) 35% cream
• 2 tbsp (28 grams) unsalted butter
• 2 tsp Earl grey lavender tea leaves
• 170 grams dark chocolate (I used this Saint-Domingue Cacao Barry 70% chocolate)
• ~1 cup cocoa powder for coating the truffles

1. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and the cream, and heat over medium heat to melt the butter. Bring the mixture to a light simmer, add the tea, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue simmering for about 10 minutes to infuse the cream with the tea flavor.
2. In the meantime, pulse the dark chocolate pistoles in the food processor to grind the chocolate. Transfer the ground chocolate to a metal bowl.
3. When the tea has steeped sufficiently, strain the cream mixture over the chocolate, pressing the tea leaves into the strainer to extract all the cream. Whisk the cream/chocolate mixture until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it for about 2 hours until the mixture is firm enough to scoop and roll into truffles.
5. Toss each truffle in the cocoa powder to coat it, tapping off the excess.
6. Store the truffles in an airtight container.

Gluten-free orange almond cake

I'm moving in about a month. I will actually physically be living somewhere other than Montreal for 9 whole months. That's crazy in my little world. The most I've been away from Montreal is 3 months, and that was in 2003 when I worked in a lab in Germany.

In one month, I will pack up a few of my belongings and my cat, and change cities. I will leave my little Montreal life behind (albeit temporarily). 

I'm even embarking on a whole new career path. It took several months to face the fact that sure, I can bake in my home, but that doesn't mean pastry shops in Montreal would want me to help them out in their professional kitchen (even for free).  It took almost a solid year of pyjama-wearing to gather enough courage to fill out forms and apply to pastry school. It also took many more not-so-happy months to come to terms with the fact that a good/conveniently-located pastry school (it's just a metro-ride away from me) didn't appreciate my over-educated, inexperienced (pastry-wise) background. Whatever. This is going to be an adventure!

I'm starting to see my little adventure as an opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Montreal, and to discover quieter Ottawa. I'm hoping the people of Ottawa will be a little friendlier. I love Montreal, but the people here can be quite cold and downright rude at times. Maybe I'll fall head-over-heels in love with Ottawa. Maybe. Or maybe after 9 months, I'll just want to go home to Montreal, a city that combines old and new architecture, and where fabulous croissants taste like butter and make a flaky mess of your outfit.

In the meantime, I have this orange almond cake recipe (originally from here) for you. The syrup I served it with reminds me of bitter-orange marmalade. The cakes are moist, and with a pleasantly coarse texture from the granular ground almonds. My favorite part of this recipe is that it uses the entire orange, peel and all. Just remember to boil the whole fruits (see recipe) to remove the unpleasant bitterness from the citrus. That's the secret to using whole citrus fruit in marmalade and cakes!

P.S. This cake recipe is gluten-free!

Orange almond cake (gluten-free)

   Makes one 9-inch cake or a multitude of smaller cakes (like 24 cakelettes and 12 muffins)

For the orange almond cake
• 2 navel oranges, washed thoroughly
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 215 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 300 grams (3 cups) ground almond
• 1 tsp baking powder
For the orange syrup
• 1 navel orange, washed thoroughly and dried
• 78 grams (~1/3 cup) granulated sugar
• a couple splashes orange liqueur (like Triple Sec)

To make the orange almond cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the pan(s) you are using by generously greasing them (if gluten is not an issue, baking spray works well). For a 9-inch cake pan, line the bottom with parchment for easy unmolding. Set the pan(s) aside for later.
2. Place the two oranges in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring it to a boil. Boil the whole oranges for 20 minutes or until the skin feels softened.
3. Drain the pan, cover the oranges with more cold water, and bring it to a boil. Boil for another 20 minutes. Drain the oranges and refresh them under cold water to quickly cool them.
4. Coarsely chop the oranges and remove any seeds. Place the chopped orange in a mini food processor and process them until they become a paste and there are no more chunks. Set them aside.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until they are thick and cream colored.
6. With a spatula, fold the ground almonds, baking powder and the orange paste into the mixture. Continue folding until all the ingredients are incorporated. Fill the prepared pan(s) with the cake batter and bake until a cake tester poked in the center comes out clean. Be sure to bake until the edges are a dark golden. A 9-inch cake will take about an hour while smaller muffins take 30–40 minutes.
7. Let the pans cool 15 minutes on a rack before carefully unmolding the cakes.
To make the orange syrup
8. Zest the washed orange with a fancy zester (for nice ribbons of zest) or a microplane (for finer zest). Place the peels in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain well and return the zest to the saucepan.
9. Add the sugar and the juice of the zested orange to the saucepan with the zest. Bring to a boil, add a couple splashes of orange liqueur and simmer for 3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
10. To serve, drizzle the sauce over the cake.

This is not another sappy Valentine's Day post, though it is that time of year again, and the "big day" is fast approaching. I don't celebrate Valentine's day, and it's not just because I happen to lack a valentine in my life at the moment.

I could have made a bright-red red velvet cake with an entire bottle of red food coloring to celebrate the season.

I could have.

Instead I made this chocolate beet cake that I had been eyeing ever since Joy the Baker posted the recipe.

I love, love, love constructing layer cakes, so I'm using Valentine's Day as an excuse for this one, but really, I made it just because.

The cake is fantastic, moist, not too dense, quite chocolaty, and not too sweet. Plus, there are vegetables hidden in it! I love the fact that it's moist without having to add vegetable oil or shortening to the batter.


The frosting is a simple cream cheese frosting, need I say more. I think tangy, but sweet cream cheese frosting goes so well with chocolate cake. I love the color contrast of the creamy white frosting on the dark cake. It looks sophisticated, and it tastes great.

For this recipe, I roasted a few beets (about 5 or 6 small ones) in a 375°F oven for about an hour in a foil packet with a little oil. I let the beets cool a little, and then I peeled and grated them. Be sure to grate them as finely as possible for the cake batter.

Mini chocolate beet cakes with cream cheese frosting

    Makes 4 mini layer cakes (3.5-inch)


Chocolate beet cake

• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (75 grams) extra-dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200 grams (~ 1 1/2 cups) grated beets
• 3/4 cups (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (170 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk (prepared from skim milk and white vinegar)

Cream cheese frosting

• 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (115 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups (250 grams) powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 teeny-tiny pinch citric acid (or 1/4 tsp lemon juice)
• 1–2 tbsp milk

To make the chocolate beet cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 10x15-inch rimmed sheet pan by greasing it and lining the bottom with parchment paper. Set it aside for later.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugars until they are well combined on medium-low.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Add the vanilla and beat again.
6. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk and the grated beets. Continue mixing and scraping down the bowl until the batter is well mixed.
7. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake it for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester poked through the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan when it is done.
8. Let the cake cool completely before proceeding.
To make the cream cheese frosting
9. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
10. With the mixer on low, add the other ingredients, except the milk. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue beating. Thin the frosting out with 1–2 tbsp of milk, as needed, to achieve the desired consistency.
To assemble
11. With a 3.5-inch cake ring or round cookie butter, cut out 8 circles of cake.
12. For each mini cake, rim the cake ring with an 11x4 inch strip of acetate. Secure the ends of acetate ends with a small piece of tape. Place the lined ring on a baking sheet lined with parchment (make sure the sheet fits in the freezer!).
13. Begin building the mini cake by placing one layer of cake at the bottom of the acetate-lined ring. Gently press it down so that it is even. Top with a tablespoon or so of frosting, spread evenly, then another round of cake (pressed down gently) and then another tablespoon of frosting. If you only have one cake ring (like me). Gently pull up the cake ring and repeat the building process.
14. Place the baking sheet with the cakes in the freezer and freeze them overnight or until about 3 or 4 hours before you are ready to serve them. Carefully peel off the acetate strips and let the cakes defrost in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.