Posts in baking
dragon fruit cheesecake
these days, i'm hitting some sort of food store at least seven times in a week. some days, i'm in four or five stores. and at a certain point, it all starts to blur together. so a trip to the farmer's market is always a welcome treat. 

i'm always on the hunt for new food to play with. when i was in barcelona years ago, i remember their large outdoor market being filled to the brim with these dragon fruit. it was really early on in my foodie journey and i had no clue what to do with them. 

fast forward five years to the irvine farmer's market and this little guy. 
IMG_9261.JPG

but of course, i've never actually used dragon fruit so it took a week of staring at it on my counter before i came up with something good. i needed something to really display the beauty of the fruit. enter deliciously simple cheesecake. together they make the perfect pair. 

dragon fruit cheesecake
serves: 10-12
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time : 45 minutes
total time: 55 minutes
ingredients: 1 dragon fruit. 1 cup all purpose flour. 1 cup finely chopped pecans. .5 cup butter, melted (1 stick). .25 cup packed brown sugar. 1 lb cream cheese (2 8oz packages). 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla. parchment paper. spring form baking pan.

IMG_9266.JPG
IMG_9269.JPG

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. line the bottom of your spring form pan with a round piece of parchment paper. 

in a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans and butter. mix it together until it forms a loose ball. 

IMG_9267.JPG

place the crust into the spring form pan and spread it along the bottom and about an inch up the side.

poke the crust with a fork and bake it off until lightly golden. about 15 minutes. 

IMG_9270.JPG
IMG_9275.JPG

while the crust is baking, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. mix on a medium speed until creamed together. 

IMG_9271.JPG

with the mixer on a low speed, add in one egg at a time and then the vanilla. when everything is combined, turn off the mixer.
press all the ingredients down the sides of the bowl, and then mix again until well combined and smooth.

IMG_9272.JPG

reserve about .25 cups of your cheesecake filling.

half your passion fruit and scoop out the flesh. place it in a blender and puree.

IMG_9264.JPG

combine the dragon fruit and cream cheese filling in a small bowl. 

IMG_9273.JPG

too small... 

IMG_9274.JPG
IMG_9276.JPG

our your filling into the baked crust. use your dragon fruit cream cheese filling to create your desired pattern. i used a spoon to place 1 inch sized drops around the cake and then used a toothpick to create hearts by swiping the pick through the middle of the circle. when you have your desired design. bake the cake till set, about 30-35 minutes. you will know it is done when the center no longer jiggles. 

IMG_9277.JPG

allow the cake to cool to room temperature and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 

IMG_9201.JPG

xo, a

dragon fruit cheesecake
serves: 10-12
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time : 45 minutes
total time: 55 minutes
ingredients: 1 dragon fruit. 1 cup all purpose flour. 1 cup finely chopped pecans. .5 cup butter, melted (1 stick). .25 cup packed brown sugar. 1 lb cream cheese (2 8oz packages). 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla. parchment paper. spring form baking pan.
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. line the bottom of your spring form pan with a round piece of parchment paper.
in a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans and butter. mix it together until it forms a loose ball.
place the crust into the spring form pan and spread it along the bottom and about an inch up the side.
poke the crust with a fork and bake it off until lightly golden. about 15 minutes.
while the crust is baking, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. mix on a medium speed until creamed together.
with the mixer on a low speed, add in one egg at a time and then the vanilla. when everything is combined, turn off the mixer.
press all the ingredients down the sides of the bowl, and then mix again until well combined and smooth.
reserve about .25 cups of your cheesecake filling. half your passion fruit and scoop out the flesh. place it in a blender and puree. combine the dragon fruit and cream cheese filling in a small bowl.
pour your filling into the baked crust. use your dragon fruit cream cheese filling to create your desired pattern. i used a spoon to place 1 inch sized drops around the cake and then used a toothpick to create hearts by swiping the pick through the middle of the circle. when you have your desired design. bake the cake till set, about 30-35 minutes. you will know it is done when the center no longer jiggles.
allow the cake to cool to room temperature and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 

mimi's chocolate brownies

admittedly, i have never been a huge supporter of gluten free or vegan cooking/baking. it's no secret that i'm an everything in moderation kind of girl. however, living in southern california and working in multiple fitness and yoga studios, i've realized it is unavoidable. the people want what the people want. 

so i did what i would normally do when i plan on embarking on something i know nothing about. i consulted an expert. 

mimi and i worked together at quiksilver many moons ago. she left to open her cookie bar in mammoth lakes, ca and never looked back. a successful bakery and a few cook books later and we reconnected over vegan + gluten free recipes. 

IMG_9194.JPG
IMG_9193.JPG

et me be clear. i was VERY skeptical of vegan, gluten free brownies. my red flags were going off left and right. 

but then i had my first bite. these are some of the best brownies i've ever made. they are moist, the perfect combination of cake and cookie and hit all the picky eater requirements. win. win. win. 

mimi's chocolate brownies
serves: 12 full sized or 24 minis
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
total time: 35 minutes
ingredients: 284 grams sugar. .5 tsp vanilla extract. 57 grams dutch chocolate cocoa. 57 grams dark chocolate, chopped. .5 c boiling water. .5 cup canola oil. .25 coconut milk. 255 grams gluten free flour blend (found in most large grocery stores near the regular flour). .25 tsp sea salt. .75 tsp baking powder. powdered sugar for dusting. parchment paper. 9x13 baking pan. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. 

in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. 

IMG_9205.JPG

line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper. in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand blender, combine the sugar, vanilla, cocoa and dark chocolate.

IMG_9206.JPG
IMG_9207.JPG

with the mixer on medium, add in the boiling water and mix until the cocoa and chocolate are melted and smooth. 

IMG_9208.JPG
IMG_9209.JPG

turn the mixer to low and add in the oil, coconut milk and the flour mixture. mix until just combined. 

IMG_9210.JPG
IMG_9211.JPG

pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. the batter is thick, so take time to spread it to all the corners of the baking dish. 

IMG_9212.JPG

bake for 17-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 

IMG_9213.JPG

allow the brownies to cool before you slice into regular sized brownies or minis. sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. store any extras (rare) in an airtight container.

IMG_9214.JPG
IMG_9203.JPG

xo, a

mimi's chocolate brownies
serves: 12 full sized or 24 minis
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
total time: 35 minutes
ingredients: 284 grams sugar. .5 tsp vanilla extract. 57 grams dutch chocolate cocoa. 57 grams dark chocolate, chopped. .5 c boiling water. .5 cup canola oil. .25 coconut milk. 255 grams gluten free flour blend (found in most large grocery stores near the regular flour). .25 tsp sea salt. .75 tsp baking powder. powdered sugar for dusting. parchment paper. 9x13 baking pan.
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper. in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand blender, combine the sugar, vanilla, cocoa and dark chocolate.
with the mixer on medium, add in the boiling water and mix until the cocoa and chocolate are melted and smooth.
turn the mixer to low and add in the oil, coconut milk and the flour mixture. mix until just combined.
pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. the batter is thick, so take time to spread it to all the corners of the baking dish.
bake for 17-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
allow the brownies to cool before you slice into regular sized brownies or minis. sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. store any extras (rare) in an airtight container.