Southern charm

Nestled in the heart of New Orleans, Willa Jean is the place to be and makes it to the top of my wishlist for southern food and delicacies whichever time of the day. Biscuits 'n gravy, peanut butter hot chocolate, salmon tartine, fried oyster benedict (!), huevos rancheros, cornbread puddin' or a perfectly made cocktail, I'm all for it!

Check it out: Willa Jean, 611 O' Keefe Ave, New Orleans 70113 Louisiana

Kvæfjordkake (Norway's national cake)

So, this is such a (Norwegian) treat and perfect as a side for your cup of coffee/tea on an afternoon. When I first heard it's called repeatedly 'World's best cake" well I couldn't but find out why..

It is basically two layers of a really flavorful cake "interrupted" by two layers of impeccable baked meringues topped with sliced almonds (!) The overhaul taste is almondy and the cake becomes more and more intense as it stays in the fridge. Recipe comes from here.

Kvæfjordkake

Ingredients

10½ tablespoons (1 stick plus 21⁄2 tablespoons) butter, softened

1 2⁄ 3 cups granulated sugar, separated

1 1⁄ 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 large eggs, separated

1⁄ 3 cup whole milk

1⁄4 cup sliced almonds

1 cup heavy cream

1⁄2 vanilla bean

1. 
   

Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle position. Line an 8-x-12-inch baking pan with parchment paper. I recomend not using glass pans, use metal.

Beat the butter and 2⁄ 3 cup of the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and baking powder and mix well on low speed. Mix in the egg yolks and milk. Scrape the batter into the baking pan.

In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining 1 cup sugar to soft peaks. Spread on top of the cake layer. Sprinkle with the almond slices.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown and puffed. Cool on a wire rack in the pan. Transfer to a cutting board.

When the cake is cool, put the cream in a medium bowl and scrape in the vanilla seeds. Discard the vanilla pod. Beat to soft peaks with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes.

Cut the cake in half crosswise with a serrated knife. Place one half of the cake on a serving tray and cover with the cream. Place the other half, meringue side up, on top. Let the cake sit for 1 hour in the fridge before serving.

Serve it with some strawberries on top to make it even more indulgent..:b Good luck!

Take me there

When in Miami, for a manchego and pear sandwich or a tortilla espanola along with a cup of latte, checking out the place's cool decor :)

OTL/ 160 NE 40th street, Miami, FL 33137

Take me there

..for a cup of coffee in this Milanese cafe and let me absorb some of the atmosphere of the Italian 1950s and 1960s pop culture and aesthetics..How cool are these formica furniture? They definitely have me!

All these and more at Bar Luce which is located in Fondazione Prada, designed by the impeccable Wes Anderson. 

Wanna

1/ check this Capsule 24 collection jumper by Maje

2/ taste coffee at this place

3/ read this book and all about decluttering

4/ make peinirli

5/ ride this bike

6/ listen to the latest from Banks

The little things

/Santa Monica beach views/

/these plates from Leah Reena Goren/

/morning coffees/

/linen curtains/

/sour cream enchiladas/

/architecture/

/garden flowers/

Take me there

At Cacao sweets & treats, where everything is made from scratch, and by everything I mean everyday freshly baked treats from breads and biscuits to some of the most beautifully decorated cakes.

All of the forementioned run by the adorable owner/baker Candice Hunsinger whose ultimate life dream is to retire to Santorini, Greece :) Well, I couldn't agree with you more!

Cacao sweets & treats: 122 Center Street, downtown Grayslake, Illinois

The little things

/anniversary tulips and their awkward movements/

/flowery dresses/

/flowery covers/

/making chocolate truffles with rum/

/pink celebrations/

Lemon lime pound cake

This cake is what you need to keep you company with your everyday morning coffee. One of its ingredients is 7up (what????) and its base is coming from an old classic recipe for cakes used in the 70s. It is moist and so flavorful with the right amount of citrus into it. The lemon and lime zest and juices create a cake so balanced and its glaze is one of the most delicious ones, not too sweet with a hint of tartness enough as to not overpowering the sweetness of it all. Make it in a bundt pan for a fancier look ;) 

Lemon lime pound cake (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)

for the cake: 

3 sticks Butter 

3 cups Sugar 

5 whole Eggs

3 cups All-purpose Flour 

1/2 teaspoon Salt 

1 cup 7-up 

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest 

1 Tablespoon Lime Zest

for the glaze: 

2 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted 

1/4 teaspoon Salt 

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest, Dried For At Least 30 Minutes

1 Tablespoon Lime Zest, Dried For At Least 30 Minutes

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

1 Tablespoon Water + More As Needed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Combine flour and salt, then add it 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. With the mixer on low, slowly add the 7-Up until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of both lemon and lime zest and mix. Scrape the bowl and mix again.

Thoroughly spray a bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Add large spoonfuls of batter until the pan is filled, then even out the surface. Bake for 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully turn it out onto a cake plate and let it cool.

Combine all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and gently whisk until thick but pourable. Use a large spoon to drizzle it all over the cake. Let the glaze set, then slice and serve!

Optional: Sprinkle with a little extra lemon and lime zest.

Bon appetit!

Ricotta and dark chocolate cake

This cake is so addictive that you'll want to recreate it right after the moment you'll be chewing on the last crumbles of it. Believe me if you make it once, and especially if you are a bit of a choco fanatic, you'll be wishing you'd made two tins instead of one.

It uses melted chocolate, and specifically 72% on cacao, and that explains the richness of the chocolate taste in your mouth which I find really unique (most chocolate cake recipes call for using cocoa powder which generally gives a softer chocolate flavor on the cake).

Ricotta & Dark Chocolate Cake (adapted by Emiko Davies)

300 gr sheep’s milk ricotta

3 eggs

150 gr raw sugar

200 gr spelt flour*

1 ½ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

250 gr 72% dark chocolate, melted in a bain marie

Beat the ricotta, eggs and sugar in a bowl until you have a smooth, fluffy mixture. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and fold through until just combined. Finally, incorporate the melted dark chocolate until you have a uniform mixture. It will be quite thick. Spoon into a baking tin (prepared with some butter and dusted with cocoa powder, or some baking paper, if you don’t have a non-stick tin) and smooth the batter down, pushing it into all the edges of the tin. Bake at 180ºC for about 1 hour or until risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you like, dust with icing sugar before serving. Keep any remaining cake in the fridge, well covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to three days.

* I used all-purpose flour and it turned out fine

Serve it with tea and you'll be drooling..

The little things

/freshly brewed coffee/

/pumpkins everywhere/

/hot dogs with crispy onions on top/

/sunny weather in november/

/homemade chocolate souffle/