Author: chanie

Chocolate Meltaway Cake

You know those insane 3-tier cakes that you see at fancy birthday parties or weddings (like these)? Well Melissa of Lil’ Miss Cakes is one of the bakers that makes those beautiful creations and I’m super stoked to have her guest post on my blog today! This whole guest blogging thing is so exciting for me because I get to introduce you to some of my all time favorite blogger friends and Melissa is one of them. I love how she posts accessible recipes for us non-professionals (like these stained glass cookies or these pumpkin chai hamantaschen). She’s really bringing it today with her twist on a yeasted babka or kokosh cake. I love me some babka, but the only time I ever make it is when I have leftover challah dough (and I don’t bake challah very often). Enter Melissa’s babka hack and you can be making a no-yeast chocolate meltaway anytime. I can’t wait to try it!

Welcome Melissa!

one of Melissa’s beautiful cakes

Hey hey! I’m Melissa of Lil’ Miss Cakes. Over on my site I kind of do it all. I share my creative cakes, share delicious and dairy-free dessert recipes, and I also design and sell custom cookie cutters. I love Chanie and her blog, she is super talented. Her food photography is stunning and her recipes are spot on, I can always find the perfect family friendly recipe to whip up for dinner. I’m so happy that the blogging world has brought us together and I’m so excited to share a recipe here with you! Thank you so much, Chanie for allowing me to guest post and congrats on your daughter, she is gorgeous! Sit back, relax, and enjoy her!

Since we all don’t always have lots of time to bake, I like to come up with impressive desserts that don’t take all day in the kitchen. I had been craving a chocolate babka/kokosh cake for a long time, but making a yeast dough is too time consuming, and doesn’t always turn out well. I needed a cake that I can mix up and bake quickly, as soon as the mood strikes. It had to be fudgy and super chocolatey, with easy to find ingredients. This cake does it all! It looks really impressive, but whips up in no time. There are a few dishes to wash, but you won’t be waiting for dough to rise all day long. There is no rolling out dough, twisting, shaping, second rising. None of that. Just mix, add to the pan, and bake. The cake is moist and tender, the chocolate is oozes everywhere, and the crumbs give the perfect amount of crunch. The best part of it all, this recipe is pareve, but I bet you won’t be able to tell!

Chocolate Meltaway Cake

Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup dairy free sour cream or unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup margarine, melted or oil

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla sugar
2 Tbs. oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch square or round cake pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low to combine. Then add the eggs, sour cream, soy milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Mix up the chocolate topping. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and margarine. Dollop the chocolate all over the cake batter and then using a knife or a spatula, to swirl/spread the chocolate and cake together.

Mix up the crumb topping. In a small bowl mix the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, and oil. Stir until large crumbs form. Sprinkle the crumbs all over the top of the cake. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cake is set and the edges are slightly brown.

Related Recipes:

Melissa’s cinnamon roll cake

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Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

I’m super excited to introduce Sina Mizrahi from The Kosher Spoon today! I’ve been a huge fan of Sina’s since she started her blog (give THESE MUFFINS a try, they’re a family favorite!) because I love that her recipes are healthy, Middle Eastern inspired, and her photography is just. so. beautiful. Sina’s not pretentious about blogging [lets face it, we all know how bloggers can be ;)], she just quietly flies under the radar, doing her thing. She blogs when she has time for it, but I’m always there following her amazing talent – stalking her blog, following her Instagram feed for her Erev Shabbat posts, and reading her columns in Binah Magazine.

When I asked Sina to guest post on my blog, she was more than happy to, even with a move and a baby of her own. I can’t thank her enough! And of course she made my favorite food of all time – COOKIES – and of course they involve almond butter because they’re great for nursing moms – and of course they are healthy and Paleo – because, like I said, this girls is AWESOME. And of course the photography is so simply stunning because THIS GIRL HAS TALENT. Welcome Sina!

I am certain a chocolate chip cookie must be every pregnant lady’s close companion. I know that when I’m expecting I can never turn one down; the craving is strong and the willpower low. Thankfully constant exhaustion keeps my habit at bay, being that baking turns into an afterthought not worth pursuing. I’d rather skip dirty dishes even when the sweet tooth beckons. And in all honesty only a homemade cookie has true merit. But then the sweeter, intoxicating smell of a newborn comes and I crave healthy foods again. With my own baby still being under one, I remember being elated when my friend Rina gushed over these Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. First, she’s a real foodie who can chatter on about pressure cookers and coconut oil, and second they don’t need a mixer and can be made in one bowl (the small bowl for the egg is minimal, k?)

These cookies turned out to be everything I needed come baby. Healthy, pleasantly sweet, and easy. I threw in some ground hazelnuts for a deeper flavor. You might be tempted to envision a Nutella-ish taste because chocolate plus hazelnuts, but they are not at all. The hazelnuts add a depth and nuttiness to the cookie that balances the sugar and chocolate. It’s not something I’d skip. If I were in Brooklyn, this is what I’d bring Chanie, the perfect treat for her and Rosie.

 

Thanks Chanie for having me on your blog! Follow along the kosher spoon as I’m off on a new adventure I’ll tell you all about soon.

 

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies (Paleo)
adapted from Slim Palate

1 cup creamy raw almond butter*
1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely ground
4oz. dark chocolate, roughly chopped
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Method:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease lightly. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolk. In a medium bowl, mix the almond butter, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and eggs. Fold in the ground hazelnuts and chopped chocolate until well incorporated. If you want plump cookies, refrigerate the dough overnight. If you can hardly wait to take a bite, scoop the mixture with a cookie scoop onto the baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350F. Space the cookies 2 inches apart and gently sprinkle some flaky sea salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges brown. Wait until they cool to transfer them with a spatula, otherwise they might fall apart.

* I found it hard to find raw almond butter so I made my own in a high speed blender by processing raw almonds until smooth. A friend makes it with roasted almond butter and she says they turn out amazing.

Related Recipes:

cowboy cookie dough bites
sesame cookies
oatmeal cookies
chocolate olive oil crinkle cookies

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Beet, Kale & Goat Cheese Shakshuka

I’m super excited to start off my guest posts with a recipe by the talented, creative and adorable Amy from WhatJewWannaEat! Amy and I met through the close-knit kosher blogging community and we share a love of creating fun twists on traditional Jewish foods. Amy is all about putting the JEW in everything, and her bagel posts on Insta always make me hungry! The girl knows the way to my heart (or should I say, my stomach?) ‘cuz she put her own spin on one of my all time favorite dishes, shakshuka! I can’t wait to cook up this dish, and with the Nine Days upon us, there’s no better time to Jew it. (see what I did there Amy?!)

For more great recipes for The Nine Days, check out my Nine Days category, browse my Pinterest board, or scan through the dairy and fish categories in the index!

If you want to win a copy of Amy’s soon-to-be-released cookbook, Sweet Noshings, plus a bonus gift from ModernTribe, don’t forget to enter my GUEST BLOGGER CONTEST! More details here.

Shalom, y’all! I’m Amy from What Jew Wanna Eat, and I’m pumped to share a recipe over on Busy in Brooklyn today. On WJWE, I blog about modern takes on classic Jewish recipes, like Sumac Roasted Salmon or Chocolate Cardamom Halvah, and my first cookbook Sweet Noshings comes out in just a few weeks! I am also the owner of ModernTribe, an online shop for fun Jewish gifts. So I’m busy, but not as busy as Chanie. I’m impressed how she cares for five children all while running her popular blog and doing numerous cooking demos. So I was thrilled to help out when she asked me to guest post on BIB.

I’ve loved following Chanie for years for creative, sophisticated kosher recipes (like Cauliflower Nachos with Harissa Cheddar Sauce or Drunken Hasselback Salami) and daily eats/impressive Shabbat prep on her Instagram. Because I live in Austin, TX, I was online friends with Chanie before finally meeting her when I was in NYC last year. Now we are Internet and real life friends!

Chanie is an expert at using ingredients in surprising ways (Corndog Hamantaschen anyone?), and I love how she incorporates healthy elements into so many of her recipes. With it being the Nine Days, I wanted to create a healthy, hearty and dairy dish to share with y’all. Chanie has made a few versions of shakshuka over the years, so I thought I would offer my own! I love taking classic favorites, and putting my own twist in them, so I added earthy beets, kale and tangy goat cheese for lots of added color and nutrients to your basic shakshuka (which I also love). If you try this recipe, I’d love to see it over on Instagram!

Beet, Kale and Goat Cheese Shakshuka

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups beets (can be a mix of yellow and red), peeled and diced
¼ cup white onion, diced
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ½ pound fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced (or 1 ½ 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes)
1 cup kale leaves, packed
¼ cup goat cheese
3-6 eggs (up to you!)
Cilantro for garnish
Crusty bread or pita for dipping

Method:

In a large sauté or cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add in beets and onion with ½ teaspoon of salt and sauté for 5-6 minutes until slightly soft. Then add in garlic and sauté for one more minute.
Add in cumin and red pepper flakes and stir. Then add in tomatoes and simmer uncovered until sauce is thick and beets are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add more salt if desired. Then add in kale and stir to wilt.
Crack eggs one at a time into a ramekin and then gently pour each one into an egg-sized hole you make in the shakshuka, evenly spaced around the pan. This method helps the eggs keep their shape. Simmer eggs for about 5 minutes until the whites are just set. They will continue to cook from the heat of the pan.
Dollop with goat cheese, garnish with cilantro, and serve with crusty bread right out of the pan!

Related Recipes:

zoodle shakshuka
garbanzo bean shakshuka
spaghetti squash shakshuka
portobello shakshuka
quick and easy shakshuka

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It’s a Girl!

It’s a girl!!!!!! Pink bows and balloons and ribbons and all! It’s baby #5 for my family, but I’m still pinching myself every day, amazed at the miracle of life and so thankful for the blessings of a healthy new baby. I’m so grateful to my husband, who’s holding down the fort while I get some much needed rest. And to my mom, who’s spoiling me with fresh pastries in the morning, and bedside snacks of fresh figs and cookies. Thank you so much for all your mazal tov’s, messages and emails, they mean the world to me!

They say that “Man Plans and God Laughs” and that’s especially so with childbirth. We thought we had our summer all planned out, but my sweet little girl made her entrance five weeks early at a tiny 5 lbs. and 1 oz. Caring for a preemie is a full time job, and getting life figured out for our brood has been a challenge, but thanks to family and friends, we’re finding our new normal. Of course blogging is going to have to take a back seat for a while, so while I take some maternity leave, I’ve got some amazing blogger friends filling in with guest posts each week! I can’t wait to share amazing recipes from talented bloggers including Amy from WhatJewWannaEat, Sina from TheKosherSpoon,  Melissa from LilMissCakes, Miriam from OvertimeCook, Eitan from CookwithChefEitan, Melinda from KitchenTested and Whitney from Jewhungry!

I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, happy cooking! And don’t forget to follow #babiesfirstdays on Instagram!

 

Can you guess the babies name? The hint is in the photos!

Post your mazal tov wishes!

Egg-Free Banana Muffins

This one goes out to all the mom’s out there battling food allergies. I am with you. Boy am I with you. You see, my son suffers from an extensive list of food allergies, some severe (epipen-severe) and some, mild. The thing about food allergies is that just when you think your kid might be outgrowing an allergy, you find out you are wrong. So, so wrong.

Under the guidance of my son’s doctor, we’ve been slowly trying to reintroduce beef into his diet (yes, my kid is allergic to BEEF!) and all was going well until it wasn’t. A mere bite of cross-contaminated chicken (that was grilled together with meat) resulted in an allergy so severe, I had to call the paramedics. THIS is the kind of stuff mom’s of allergic kids have to deal with, and that’s why I’ve made us all cupcakes. Egg-free ones. (And if you’re kid is allergic to dairy, go ahead and skip the frosting, or use vegan cream cheese. Unless your kid is allergic to soy. And gluten. Then just sit down with a giant chocolate bar and have a good cry).

Lucky for us, we’re good on the dairy front and my son LOVES cream cheese, so I love to spoil him with these. The banana muffins are so incredibly moist, you’d never imagine their missing a key component of fluffy baking. No aquafaba required.

I hope you’re all having a fun and relaxing summer. Stay safe out there!

Egg-Free Banana Muffins

3 very ripe mashed bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
maple brown sugar frosting, optional (recipe follows)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Grease a muffin tin and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt until combined. In a separate bowl, mix the bananas, oil, sugar and vanilla with a hand mixer. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated (do not overmix). Stir in the chocolate chips and portion the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely and frost, if desired.

Maple Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. container whipped cream cheese
4 tbsp softened butter
1 heaping cup confectionars sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup

Method:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until smooth. Pipe onto muffins.


Related Recipes:

healthy thumbprint hamantaschen (egg-free)

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