This cake is seriously amaze-balls. It is the perfect storm of flavours; strong brewed espresso, chocolate and spicy chai notes. I was thinking of a riff on a chai latte of sorts and I finally came up with this combination. It is the perfect coffee cake for brunch or weekends, but also yummy enough to serve after dinner for guests. The very simple to make chocolate glaze is the perfet topper. Trust me this one will go fast!
Ingredients
for the cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp each ground cardamom, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, black pepper
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup brewed espresso, cooled to room temperature
1/2 tsp butter and 1/2 tsp flour to butter and flour baking pan
for the glaze:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp butter at room temperature
1 tbsp confection sugar
2 tbsp milk
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour a tube pan.
Beat sugar and butter together using a mixer until completely combined and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until light, fluffy and the batter falls in ribbons, about 5 minutes.
Add sour cream and beat until combined.
Combine first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl and sift together.
Add sour cream and dry ingredients, alternating until combined.
Pour into pan.
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes until cause is done. Check by inserting a toothpick for doneness. Toothpick should come out clean.
Let cake cool and then pop out of pan.
While cake is cooling, prepare the glaze.
Combine all ingredients in a heatproof bowl over boiling water until melted, combined and shiny. If you want a runnier glaze add more milk, if you want a thicker glaze, add more sugar.
Pour over the cake immediately.
Enjoy!
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This soup is a weekly staple at my house. I like to make homemade chicken stock in batches to store in the freezer so I always have some on hand. This is one of my family’s favourites. It happens to be a very healthy dish, but no one would know that as it packs a ton of flavour. It’s full of raw vegetables that give the soup a great crunch and jammed with rice noodles that are everyone’s favourite. The base is chicken stock seasoned with any Asian seasoning. I've used Tom Yum Paste here which I tend to have on hand in my fridge, but if you don’t, feel free to use some soy and/or sriracha. You can find Tom Yum paste in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets. It is a blend of Thai spices that you can just mix into any broth. You can also use almost any combination of Asian vegetables in this; daikon, cabbage, bok choy, greens, snow peas, sprouts and mushrooms all work. Finish off the soup with any combination of Asian basil, mint, green onions or cilantro. Any or all work. As for noodles, I love to use any of the many available Asian noodles. They are a snap to prepare as you can just add them to your soup and they cook in about 2 minutes. I love to use rice noodles or glass noodles, either of these taste great. With some chicken stock on hand and a quick stop for some Asian veggies, you can throw this soup together in less than 15 minutes, which makes it a perfect weeknight meal.
Ingredients
4 cups chicken stock
4 pieces baby bok choy
2 tbsps Tom Yum Paste
6 mushrooms
1/4 Chinese cabbage
1 bunch green onion
handful cilantro
1/2 package rice noodles
Hot sauce (optional)
Directions
Heat chicken stock on medium heat.
Wash and thinly slice vegetables; Bok Choy, mushrooms and cabbage.
Wash and chop green onion and cilantro.
When stock comes to a boil, add paste until mixed in.
Add rice noodles and let boil for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low.
Distribute sliced vegetables between bowls.
Add stock and noodles to each bowl until vegetables are submerged.
Garnish with cilantro and green onion.
Add hot sauce if desired.
This recipe is a real keeper. It’s a version of the classic farmers omelette, built around the timeless combination of meat and potatoes. It makes a great breakfast or brunch dish but is hearty enough to make for a weeknight dinner. I usually make this when I have some leftover potatoes in the fridge or a bit of sausage leftover from a BBQ. It's a great way to reinvent those leftovers and make a dish that everyone loves. This omelette also tastes great cold, we love to pack it up for weekend outings and turn it into an awesome sandwich. Give it a try!
Ingredients
2 sausages
3 medium potatoes
4 eggs
1 tbsp water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of your favorite grated cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
Directions
I usually make this with leftover potatoes; boiled, roasted or even mashed will work and sausages that have been baked or BBQ’d. If you have these on hand, skip the next two steps.
Take your fresh sausage and slice it up into inch chunks. Pan fry until cooked through about 5 mins.
Roughly chop potatoes into chunks and boil until tender in salted water, about 15 minutes.
Heat olive oil to medium.
Brown cooked potatoes and sausage in a medium sized frying pan.
Heat oven to broil.
While heating potatoes and sausage, beat together eggs, water, salt and pepper.
Pour egg mixture directly into pan. Mix everything together in the pan and let eggs set up until most cooked. You are looking for the eggs to cook up to a wet scramble.
Stop mixing and turn off heat. Let pan sit for another minute, while the bottom of the omelette sets up.
Sprinkle the top with your favourite cheese, I love to use cheddar and place under broiler for 1 minute until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve immediately.
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