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Tag: whole wheat flour

Nectarine Duffins

Nectarine Almond Duffins As I sit here and write about this favorite snack in our house- I am hiding my laptop from my daughter who is sitting right next to me reading her book. You wonder why? Well, she has been asking me to bake some duffins for her for a while now and I just haven’t done it. If she notices the huge picture- I will be in big trouble…

She asked for them again yesterday and I told her we can make them today. So, once I am done with my writing for the day and after I finish cooking dinner- we will be baking some duffins- at least that is what I plan.

These ones are a bit different- I took advantage of all the delicious fruit in the farmers market and stuffed the duffins with chopped nectarines. I placed the delicious fruit in a small bowl and topped it with some vanilla sugar. I let it sit for a while and get juicy.

I then proceeded to use the same recipe for duffins and added the delicious nectarines in the middle. I was a bit hesitant to serve them to my daughter and her friends. Well, actually, my daughter is used to having all kinds of fruit. A lot of her friends are not so keen. To my surprise, everyone loved them…

So, here is another version of duffins- try the nectarine ones- they are delicious…
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Apricot Kuchen- Gesa’s German Cake Recipe

apricot-kuchen My favorite breakfast would be a big-huge cup of perfectly brewed coffee with a huge slice of toasted pound cake!- oh and a big chunk of salty cheese as well. I don’t think I have indulged in just cake and cheese for any meal in a long time. Pound cake has a special place in my heart. I remember eating lots of it in India growing up. My Mom would make it at home but the one I remember fondly is from Standard Bakery. They made their pound cakes in round molds. It was small in diameter but baked really high. It used to be wrapped with a brown parchment paper, which I remember peeling off and devouring a big slice of cake as soon as it came home. I do try to eat that particular one whenever I go back. 

I ate an apricot cake a few years ago at a friend’s baby shower. Her Austrian friend had made her Mom’s recipe. It was delicious! It reminded me of the pound cake I used to eat years ago. It was not too sweet but had the pound cake texture. The apricots on top were a great accompaniment- sweet and tangy. The cake was served with sweetened whipped cream- again, my favorite. I could have eaten that whole thing by myself.

Recently my friend made her aunt Gesa’s  apple kuchen (word for ‘cake’ in German). I ate some and it reminded me of the apricot cake I had at her shower. I took the recipe, tweaked it a bit and added apricots instead of apples. It was delicious. It is not as rich as a pound cake but has a similar feel. It is not too sweet so it can be eaten for breakfast and tea. Most importantly, it tastes delicious with ice cream or whipped cream. I served it with a mixture of creme fraiche and ricotta cheese. I decided to use creme fraiche because its thick and creamy. I added ricotta cheese for it’s great texture. Both mixed together made a really yummy accompaniment to the cake. I sweetened the whole thing with a bit of vanilla sugar. 

Vanilla sugar can be bought but it is quite easy to make. Every time a recipe calls for a vanilla bean, I scrape the seeds out and save the rest. I add the emptied pods to a jar of sugar. After a week or so, the entire jar of sugar is flavored with the yummy vanilla taste. I always have some on hand – it’s a great way to flavor anything. Every morning my daughter, Sia get a bowl of berries topped with a bit of vanilla sugar- she loves it!

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Easy Summer Dessert Recipe: Raspberry Cake

raspberry-pudding-cake I have been making this cake for a few years now. I like it because it is quite easy to make and a little different- the berries are cooked into a thick sauce by adding cornstarch and then poured over the cake batter. I love how the berries sink into the cake and spread through out, resulting in a very appealing looking dessert. The initial recipe called for blueberries, which are delicious in the cake. I used raspberries this time, I love the tang and the color they impart. I also switched the regular flour with white whole wheat flour and regular sugar with evaporated cane sugar. It makes me feel good to be able to use healthier ingredients and still make a delicious dessert!
I made this dessert for a barbecue this past weekend. It worked really well- we sat outside and enjoyed the food and drinks. I didn’t think the kids would want the cake, but they all enjoyed it with their vanilla ice cream.

Speaking of ice cream- I was planning to buy some creme fraiche or whipping cream to serve with the cake- but then I saw a television show about fromage blanc. It’s a french style cheese made out of non-fat milk. It is usually mixed with honey since it has an edge to it- like goat cheese. It is then served with fresh fruit. Until recently it was hard to find fromage blanc around here, but now it is available at some stores- I found it at Whole Foods. I bought a small tub and added a bit of honey and lemon zest. The honey gave it a subtle sweetness and the lemon zest off set the tanginess of the cheese really well.
I loved the idea of serving the non-fat cheese with the raspberry cake. The flavors went really well. Although the cake is healthy, it does have a stick of butter- so, I felt a lot better serving fromage blanc- it has the creaminess of whipping cream without the calories but most importantly it has a different flavor- which I love- it’s nice to experiment a little and surprise your guests.

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Banana Blueberry Muffins

banana-blueberry-muffins Here is another recipe for healthy muffins.  I am always looking for new ones since my daughter is always eyeing the ones they sell in Whole Foods and other stores. Now, Whole Foods makes their desserts and treats quite healthy but I still prefer to make them at home if I can- I can control all the ingredients that go into whatever I am making- yes, I know what you are thinking- what a control freak!!!  Seriously though, there is so much crap out there and I feel unless we teach our kids how to eat healthy, they will get lost in all the middle isles of the grocery stores (that is where all the processed stuff is sold) forever!

I made these in a matter of an hour.  A friend was coming over and my daughter was talking about the blueberry muffins at Whole Foods. I had a few over ripe bananas screaming to be used up and I always have frozen wild blueberries.  I decided to incorporate both the ingredients in the muffins with my usual whole wheat flour and turbinado sugar. The bananas give the muffins a very soft and creamy texture and the buttermilk adds immense flavor.  I prefer using wild blueberries since they are very high in antioxidants and have a wonderful flavor.  Speaking of wonder foods- cinnamon is another one. I like using it in everything I can- it gives all sweet and savory dishes wonderful aroma.

Once the muffins came out of the oven, I wasn’t sure what Sia would think.  They had a lot of flavor but were not overly sweet- well, she tasted them and loved them!  Perfect snack with a cold glass of milk!

  • 2 cups white whole-wheat flour
  • ½ cup turbinado sugar, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed bananas- 3-4 very ripe ones
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup extra light olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup frozen wild blueberries, mixed with 1 tablespoon flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 24 mini muffin pan with mini liners.

In a large bowl, mix the whole-wheat flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the bananas, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract. Mix the banana mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or till done.