Category: Brunch

Granola Honey Cake

There are some ingredients you buy that you immediately know you need to figure out a way to put them into a recipe. That was me with Trader Joe’s new Granola Butter. I bought a jar, tasted it, and basically couldn’t stop eating it. It’s made with oats and has this delicious maple-vanilla flavor that tastes like the best part of granola. A few spoons in and I realized, this would be amazing on honey cake.

So I started thinking about how to make a honey cake that highlights the granola idea. Instead of simply putting granola on top, I used ground oats and whole rolled oats right in the cake, giving it that tender crumb that I love in a good oat muffin. Then I topped it with a layer of the granola butter and finished it with a crunchy oat crumble.

The result is a honey cake that’s a little different from the traditional version—oaty, warmly spiced, creamy and crunchy all at once.

Granola Honey Cake

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup oat flour (see note)
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup neutral oil
½ cup honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅔ cup strong coffee, cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange zest, optional

For the Oat Crumble

½ cup reserved dry mixture from the cake
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons neutral oil

For the Topping

1 jar Trader Joe’s Granola Butter (may sub Lotus butter or any frosting!)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, oat flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Before adding any wet ingredients, remove ½ cup of the dry mixture and set it aside for the crumble.

To the reserved mixture, add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 2 tablespoons neutral oil. Mix with a fork or your fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12–16 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely. The crumble will crisp further as it cools.

To the remaining dry cake ingredients, add the baking powder and baking soda and whisk to incorporate. Add oil, honey, eggs, coffee, vanilla and orange zest, if using.mix with a spoon just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into a greased and parchment-lined 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Allow the cake to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cool, spread Trader Joe’s Granola Butter generously over the top. Scatter the cooled oat crumble over the granola butter.

Cut into squares and serve.

NOTES:

For a similar creamy topping, use peanut butter or Lotus Biscoff cookie butter straight from the jar. You can also substitute your favorite frosting.

If you don’t have oat flour, simply blend old-fashioned rolled oats in a high-speed blender or food processor until finely ground. For the 3/4 cup you need for this recipe, blend about 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp old fashioned oats to make 3/4 cup flour.

Related Recipes:

Hawaij Honey Cake with Labneh Frosting – Busy in Brooklyn
Parsnip Honey Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting & Rainbow Carrot Chips – Busy in Brooklyn
World’s Best Honey Cake – Busy in Brooklyn

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Celery Tabboule

I bought the most beautiful bunch of celery at the farmers market in Liberty on Friday and, honestly, I had no idea what I was going to do with it. But it had SO many gorgeous celery leaves that I started thinking about tabboule, and suddenly it made perfect sense. I used the celery leaves as the main herb, added the celery stalks for that fresh, crunchy bite, and made it with Boostcous instead of traditional couscous. And let me tell you… this was a VERY good idea. It is SO delicious.

As you know, I’ve also been working in a restaurant all summer, which means I’ve been eating a lot of restaurant food, not always making the healthiest choices, and I am definitely starting to feel it. So I’m taking this as my little jumpstart back into eating food that makes me feel good.

I love that Boostcous gives me 18g of protein and 11g of fiber per serving, but it still feels like I’m just eating a really good couscous salad—not some sad “healthy alternative.” It cooks in minutes, has a great texture, and I honestly love it cold in a salad like this.

I also made it the other week for dinner risotto-style with peas and my kids loved it! It’s definitely going to become a staple around here.

Celery Tabboule

1 box boostcous, cooked according to package directions
3 stalks celery, diced small, leaves reserved
1/2 red onion, diced small
1 heaping cup baby tomatoes, diced small
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced small
2 cups chopped fresh herbs (I used mostly celery leaves, and some parsley, cilantro and dill)

Dressing:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove grated garlic
1 tsp za’atar
1/2 tsp sumac
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Add all your ingredients to a bowl, pour over the dressing, mix it together and get diggin!

VARIATION: if you cant find boostcous, you can sub 1 cup of cooked bulgur, farro, couscous, brown rice or grain of choice.

 

Related Recipes:

Cauliflower Tabboule

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BLUE: Bubby’s Blueberry Pie!

Welcome back to my Red, White, and Blue Series, where I’m celebrating July 4th with recipes inspired by each color of the American flag. For the blue installment, I’m sharing a recipe that couldn’t be more fitting: my Bubby’s Blueberry Pie Cake.

This recipe is deeply nostalgic for me because it comes straight from my family’s kitchen. Growing up, this was one of those desserts that appeared at family gatherings, summer celebrations, and of course, the Shabbos morning breakfast table. It’s the kind of recipe that’s been passed down through generations, not because it’s fancy or complicated, but because it’s delicious, dependable, and always brings people together.

This year, making the recipe was especially meaningful because I had a very special guest helping me. My sister was visiting from Australia to celebrate our mom’s birthday, and we filmed this reel together. Living on opposite sides of the world means we don’t get many opportunities to cook side by side anymore, so spending time together in the kitchen recreating a beloved family recipe felt incredibly special.

As fifth-generation Americans, we often talk about the recipes that have become part of our family’s story. While our traditions are rooted in our heritage, we’ve also embraced the classic American dishes that have found a permanent place on our tables. And it doesn’t get much more American than blueberry pie.

Of course, true to Bubby’s style, this recipe takes a shortcut with canned blueberry pie filling. That’s exactly how she made it, and honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about those familiar ingredients and the simple, unfussy approach to baking that defined so many family recipes of her generation.

The result is a dessert that’s exactly what Bubby promised, as she always used to say: it’s as easy as pie. With a tender cake-like base that comes together with a spoon and sweet blueberry filling, it’s the perfect combination of comfort, nostalgia, and summer flavor.

As we celebrate Independence Day, I’m proud to share a recipe that represents both family tradition and the American experience. Food has a way of connecting generations, preserving memories, and bringing people together around the table. This Blueberry Pie Cake has done exactly that in our family for years, and I’m honored to pass it along to yours.

From my family’s kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this simple, nostalgic dessert and find an opportunity to create some sweet memories of your own. Happy Fourth of July!

Bubby’s Blueberry Pie
YIELD: 2 9″ pies

3 eggs, beaten
¾ cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
21oz. can blueberry pie filling

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9” pans with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and flour. Mix with a spoon until a dough forms. Freeze the dough for 20 minutes.

Remove the dough from the freezer and divide it in two. Working with one batch at a time, place half of the dough on the bottom of the pan, spreading out a thin layer over the bottom and a bit up the sides. Top with half of the pie filling. Divide the remaining half of the dough into 6 balls, roll them into strips and form a lattice over the pie filling. Repeat with the second pie.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the cake is golden and starting to brown.

VARIATION: You can use any canned pie filling of your choice including cherry, apple, strawberry or peach, or combine 2 or 3 flavors in different sections of the pie.

Related recipes:

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake
Blueberry Apple Crisp
Italian Ricotta Cherry Pie
Knafeh Apple Pie

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WHITE: Almond Granita!

Welcome back to my Red, White, and Blue Series, where I’m sharing a collection of summer recipes inspired by the colors of the American flag. For the white installment, I’m taking you straight to Sicily with one of my favorite discoveries from my recent trip: authentic Sicilian Almond Granita.

Before visiting Sicily, I thought granita was simply a flavored shaved ice. What I quickly learned is that true Sicilian granita is something entirely different. The texture is smoother and creamier—almost like an icy sorbet, and they serve it  alongside a soft brioche bun called a brioche col tuppo. The bun is named for the small round knob of dough baked on top. To eat it, you pull off the top, scoop up the granita, and enjoy the two together. I love any country that’s on board with eating ice cream for breakfast!

Almond granita is one of Sicily’s most beloved flavors, and it’s easy to understand why. Made from fresh almonds blended with water and sugar, it has a rich marzipan-like flavor that tastes both luxurious and refreshing at the same time. When you blanch and peel the almonds before making it, the finished granita becomes almost pure white in color, looking remarkably similar to a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and making it perfect for the WHITE part of this series.

For the next installment of the Red, White, and Blue Series, stay tuned for the blue recipe.

Almond Granita (Granita di Mandorla)
YIELD: 4 cups

12 oz raw blanched almonds (can use whole, sliced or slivered)
3½ cups water
3/4 cup  sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp almond extract

Method:

Place the almonds and water in a high-speed blender. Blend for several minutes until completely smooth and milky.
Pour through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a saucepan, pressing firmly to extract as much liquid as possible.
Add the sugar and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon (do not less it boil agressively). Remove from the heat, cool and pour into a shallow pan.

Freezing options:

Freeze for about 2 hours, until icicles begin to form and use a fork to scrape/mash it. Return to the freezer and do this again every 1-2 hours until flaky.

Alternatively, freeze for 6–8 hours or overnight. Break the frozen mixture into chunks.
Transfer to a food processor or blender and pulse until the texture becomes smooth, fluffy, and creamy, like a soft sorbet.

Serve immediately, or freeze for another 15–20 minutes if needed to firm up slightly.

Related Recipes

Chunky Monkey Marzipan Nice Cream
Goat Cheese Ice Cream
Persimmon Coconut Ice Cream

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Fig Granita Breakfast Sundae

Oh. Em. Gee. I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted something so delicious in my entire life!! I’m not much of a dessert person, but this components of this breakfast sundae come together like a midsummer’s night dream!! Tart Greek yogurt, shaved frozen figs (yes!!), crispy filo dough, honey, pistachios and flaky salt – GIVE. ME. MORE.

 

Fig Granita Breakfast Sundae

3 sheets filo dough
olive oil spray
kosher salt, to taste
cinnamon, to taste
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 package collagen, optional
2 tsp honey, plus more for finishing
2 frozen figs
2 tbsp chopped roasted, salted pistachios
flaky salt, for finishing

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Crunch up the filo dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, spray with olive oil spray and season with salt and cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Mix the yogurt with the collagen and honey. Add to a serving glass. Shave the frozen figs on a microplane directly over the yogurt. Top with filo flakes, pistachio, honey and finish with flaky salt.

Related Recipes:

orange cardamom malabi with drunken figs
halva ricotta stuffed figs
breakfast quinoa with silan roasted figs

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