I’m wiping up the mud and debris left from January and welcoming February with open arms. January is a rough month. It starts out on a high, with resolutions and promises. But I dunno, something veers off. Maybe because 2 years ago on January 21st my mom died and that kind of is like a big kick in the gut to every January that comes after. So I’m going to declare February as my new slate! It’s a time when winter shakes off all of the big bad-ass-ness and fuzzy blossoms, sunshine and warm air start swirling around Vancouver. This month, we’ve had the windows open every day and it smells of springtime. Years ago, when my brother first came to visit me from Ontario, he came in February. He wore is heavy winter coat and toque as is the fashion out east. But as soon as he arrived, he ditched the cold weather gear and felt liberated in only a denim jacket and a colourful plaid scarf. Add in cherry blossoms, sun that warms the cheeks, and the smells of the earth coming back to life and you’ve got February.

And to celebrate, I’ve baked up some banana bread and trust me, it’s no ordinary loaf. I first made this in January when I had a friend over for tea. We needed tea and comfort and chocolate, because as I mentioned, you need all the help you can get during that dark month. This bread was just the ticket and it’s this bread that I want to share with you today.

Yup, that tasty loaf came from these fugly, brown bananas. Whenever we have bananas that start to get too spotty and soft, into the freezer they go. And when we’ve got a few rounded up, I start thinking banana bread. I’ve made a few in my day, but wanted to try something new. Chocolate chips were a given, but I decided to throw in some cocoa powder along with grated coconut into the mix. I also used some coconut-flavoured yogurt, but if you don’t have any on hand and wanted a bit more of a coconut kick, add in a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract into your milk or yogurt mixture. Oh, and I added rum. I like rum. It goes well with bananas and chocolate. And January.

February has only begun and there’s already some exciting news to share. I’m beyond thrilled to mention that this blog has been nominated for a Bloggie which is a huge (!!!) weblog award. I’d sure appreciate it if you could head on over and vote for Everybody Likes Sandwiches as Best Canadian Blog. As well, you can check out a whole host of other awesome blogs that have been nominated.

elsewhere: Got a hankering for soup? Look no further because the smokey southwestern apple & squash soup I had last week was so freakin’ tasty!!! (It deserves every. single. exclaimation. point.) You can get the recipe on Poppytalk.

cocoa-coconut banana bread
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c vegan margarine
3 ripe bananas, mashed – about 1 cups worth
1 T rum (or use vanilla extract)
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 c coconut-flavoured yogurt or vegan yogurt or 1/3 c soy/almond/coconut milk* + 1 tsp vinegar
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c walnuts, chopped
1/4 c unsweetened grated coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease loaf pan with margarine & dust with flour. Set aside.

Cream together the sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add in mashed bananas and rum and blend well.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Pour half of the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir until combined. Add in the milk or yogurt mixture and combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix. Fold in the chocolate chips, coconut & walnuts. Spoon batter (don’t worry, it will be thick) into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about one hour and 10 minutes.

* If you use coconut milk, don’t use the stuff from the can – instead use the carton kind which is more like milk.

Possibly related posts:

• banana espresso chocolate chip bread
• the big bad banana: jacked-up banana bread

I’ve never encountered a jewel bar until I spent my first Christmas with Cornelius’ parents. A jewel bar seems innocent enough: a shortbread bottom topped with chocolate chips, salted mixed nuts….until you get to those blasted glacé cherries. You see, I’ve always viewed those candied cherries as an abomination upon the world of desserts. They always seem to appear when you least expect them, hiding in a hot cross bun or ruining a perfectly lovely shortbread cookie. So when I was offered a plate of baked goods from the people that would one day be my in-laws, I didn’t want to be rude. I picked up the jewel bar and once I bit into it, I was sold. Hideous cherries, be damned! I became smitten with these jewel bars that probably started their life as a recipe found on a package of chocolate chips.

These bars have that great sweet-salty thing going on because of the nuts and I think that’s why I love these so much! And now that I’m no longer giving glacé cherries the evil eye, I can appreciate how they certainly liven up the dish with their festive colour. Plus, they do add a flavour that really works here. Really! But the most perfect thing about these jewel bars is that they are one of the simplest desserts to make. They’re a cinch to whip up when company comes a-calling or for giving as a last-minute gift.

Thanks for visiting here during these busy times and I want to extend a warm and happy Christmas filled with peace & joy! Happy happy holidays!

holiday jewel bars
1 1/2 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1 c butter (cool, but not hard)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 c salted mixed nuts
1 1/2 c halved candied cherries
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour with half of the brown sugar and mix well. Cut in the butter and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture to form coarse crumbs. Press into a 9″x12″ pan and bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the egg with the salt and the rest of the brown sugar. Stir in the nuts, cherries and chocolate chips until everything is well coated with the egg mixture. Spoon this evenly over the shortbread layer and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Cool and cut into 2″ squares.

Possibly related posts:

• holiday baking & gift ideas
• can’t eat just one: peanut butter raisin bars

Despite having eaten only one banana in my entire life (I was nine when my life-long hate started), I do tend to get a bit gooey for banana bread. While my husband might keep the banana brokers in business, he often buys more than he can chew at once. The ones he doesn’t manage to stuff into his maw before they turn brown end up inour freezer where they shrivel, turn black and get baked into banana bread. Not a bad life-cycle, I think. One of the most repeated recipes in my kitchen is this wonderful cinnamon and chocolate banana bread but sometimes one needs to shake it up a little.

This banana bread is a delicious one and it has a wonderful pedigree – it comes from the Baked cookbook which has given my kitchen so much wonderful baked bounty in the past. This recipe is no exception. The original recipe makes muffins but I decided to go with a loaf pan instead. Also, the recipe easily doubles and freezes well in case you want to get all your baking done at once.

Chocolate and espresso? Oh yeah! This is a great banana bread to wake up to in the morning as it pairs so nicely with a good hot coffee. If you are a walnut-hater (and a surprising amount of you are), then just replace the walnuts with more chocolate chips and you can’t go wrong.

banana espresso chocolate chip bread
(adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)
1 1/2 c mashed, ripe bananas (about 4)
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t instant espresso powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour one loaf tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk and egg. In another bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips & walnuts.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in a pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Possibly related posts:

• lookie lookie: chocolate chip banana bread with ginger
• 3 brown bananas: vegan cocoa-coconut banana bread

I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of an egg cream. I mean, it’s a total misnomer since there is no egg or cream involved, but when I was little just the thought of a drink with eggs was not refreshing sounding at all. I threw up a little in my mouth whenever my brother would order an Orange Julius at the mall and an egg cream just sounded way worse to my 10 year old ears. Fast forward to last summer when I found myself with a bottle of chocolate syrup and cans of club soda. Hello, chocolate egg cream!

Really, it couldn’t be simpler – and it shouldn’t affect your gag reflex one bit. One, you need chocolate syrup. Traditionalists would say you NEED to use Fox’s U-BET chocolate syrup, but I found Smuckers to be just dandy. A homemade chocolate syrup would be great too! Two, you need milk. Milk should be cold, ice cold because warm milk is just gross and the opposite of refreshing. I’m sure if you wanted this to be dairy free you could try this with soy, rice or almond milk. If you do try it vegan, let me know how it goes! And the third requirement, seltzer water – but club soda will work in a pinch. If you were old-fashioned, you’d use one of those Mad Men era pressurized seltzer canisters, but a can of club soda still makes a fine, fine drink. Just give everything a big stir at the end and watch out so that it doesn’t over flow because this stuff can bubble up quickly! Now, if you want more of an adult beverage, throwing in an ounce of bourbon wouldn’t be out of line (see the kitchn for a chocolate milk bourbon version).

Now, the real reason I’m talking about Brooklyn egg creams is to ply you with a treat so you could help me with NYC tips! I’ll be in Brooklyn for 3 weeks this month and I need all the recommendations I can get. I can tell you that I’m well versed in NYC history after watching the 16 hour long New York documentary by Rick Burns but I need to know about all the other stuff. Like where’s the best happy hour? The best brunch? The best coffee? The best brew pub? The best IPA? The best burger? The best slice? The best healthy food? And because I like to travel on the cheap, these recommendations shouldn’t be fancy or hella-expensive – we are cheap, afterall. We’re planning on doing a lot of picnic-ing since that’s one way to cut down costs, so any well-stocked and well-priced grocery stores or food emporiums that I should know about, please let me know. And because NYC isn’t just about the food (no, really) I do plan on doing some sight-seeing too. We want to explore some of the outer boroughs. The Tenement Museum will be visited. As will the MOMA. And I’d love your recs for any cool music venues, photography/art galleries and spaces, cool walks and that kind of thing. Anything that is a touristy-must do?? Is the top of the Empire State Building worth it? We’ve never been before and it’s kind of like a dream to spend 3 weeks exploring and getting inspired. So please send me your comments and emails! I’d love to hear your must-do New York City tips!

elsewhere: Over at Poppytalk check out my Root and Ginger post for the perfect summer tipple.

brooklyn chocolate egg cream for 2
chocolate syrup
cold cold milk (not a typo, make sure that milk is cold!)
1 can of club soda or a bottle of seltzer water (open only when ready to pour)

1. Pour about 1 inch of chocolate syrup in the bottom of two pint glasses. If the pint glasses are chilled, that’s even better!

2. Pour about 2 inches of milk over top.

3. Top up with club soda, half a can for each glass – pour slowly because this stuff will really start to foam up! Stir with a long spoon and drink up!

Possibly related posts:

• rhubarb-limeade fizz & a nyc rundown
• coolio: coconut chocolate chunk ice cream + mexican chocolate ice cream

I tend to get a little excited about birthdays. I love making cakes for my loved ones and friends and when it comes to my birthday, I love to make myself a cake too. Last year I baked two cakes for my birthday. The previous year I baked the fantastic Winning Hearts and Minds cake from Orangette. The year before that I made two kinds of cupcakes for a karaoke and shuffleboard party at the local legion (which I transported there via bike). And before that I made a yellow cake layered with lemon curd and drizzled with dark chocolate ganache. Really, if it’s not obvious already, I have no problem baking for myself. Not at all.

It’s usually a big decision on what kind of cake to make. I cast my net wide and then narrow down the choices until I’ve found something perfect. This year, however, I had it all figured out. The week before my birthday, Cornelius and I went out for dinner at a local diner – the kind of diner with formica countertops, comfy booths and where you probably should order pie, except we never do. So as we walked to the cashier to pay our bill, I saw the most wonderful looking chocolate cake in the display case. The cake was skyscraper high and covered in the fluffiest white frosting. I kicked myself for days for not ordering that chocolate cake. My cake fate was sealed. One chocolate cake coming up!

Chocolate cakes can be tricky. Sometimes they’re dry or just not very special tasting. I wanted a cake with a wow factor and luckily, I had one cake bookmarked for years that I was eager to try. The black magic cake by Hershey’s always seemed to get rave reviews and the truth of it is, I liked the name. Not to mention that the recipe is as easy as….cake. I think the key to the magic is the coffee as it helps to deepen the chocolate flavour. I made sure to make mine extra strong and used instant Italian espresso powder – 3 teaspoons to one cup of boiling water. I dunno if that was the trick, but this cake was amazingly flavourful and moist. This is, in my mind, the most perfect chocolate cake!

As for decorating, I usually keep things simple. But this year, I was kind of smitten with ruffles. I hate ruffles on dresses and blouses, but I do love them on cakes. Sweetapolita had a gorgeous one and then Thus Bakes Zarathustra made it look simple – just some zig-zags. I could do that! Unfortunately, you need a proper cake decorating tip and because I have a pathetic collection of 4 tips found at a garage sale, I didn’t have the proper one. But, I was eager and didn’t let it stop me. I was gonna make a pretty cake or a pretty ugly cake – I was willing to take either option. Unfortunately, it was the latter and looked more like noodles than ruffles, but I was okay with that. The frosting? Just a simple vanilla buttercream with real vanilla. It was buttery and sweet and with the chocolate cake tasted like a giant Oreo cookie in the best possible way. I loved it and so did all my friends who happily ate up their slice.

elsewhere: Maybe you don’t want to think about cake (you’re crazy). Maybe you’re concentrating on dinner, if so, head to Poppytalk and check out my steamed fish with kale. It’s healthy and delicious and it makes it easy to have cake for dessert. You know, if you really do want cake.

black magic layer cake with vanilla bean buttercream
(adapted from Hershey’s)
2 c white sugar
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c cocoa
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 large eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 c strong black coffee (or 3 t of instant espresso in 1 c boiling water)
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract

Heat oven to 375F. Butter and flour two eight-inch cake pans and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar through to the salt. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour the wet into the dry and mix well with a stand mixer or a wooden spoon. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 prepared pans. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before inverting the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.

vanilla bean buttercream
3 c icing/confectioners sugar
3/4 c soft butter
1/4 c cream cheese
1 vanilla bean scraped
1 t kosher salt
1 t vanilla

Mix the sugar with the butter and cream cheese until well blended and fluffy. Cut the vanilla bean in half, length-wise and scrape the seeds into the frosting. Add in the salt and vanilla and beat until well mixed.

When cake is completely cool, you can start frosting the cake. If your cake is a bit domed on top, you can slice it off using a serrated knife so you have a nice even top. Luckily my cake wasn’t domed so I was able to spread the frosting on one cake before placing the second cake on top. I then used a thin layer of frosting to do the whole cake (called a crumb layer – because here is where you’ll catch any stray crumbs). Then frost and decorate the whole cake however you choose.

Possibly related posts:

• belated birthday fun times: the white out cake
• 2 kinds of pre-birthday cupcakes!

If you’re wondering how a cookie mostly composed mostly of chocolate would turn out, have no fear because this cookie is pretty much perfect. It is made up mostly of bittersweet chocolate and I’d be sure to use up your good stash: Green & Blacks, Callebault, Ghirardelli. Chocolate is melted into the batter and then there’s extra chunks to be added before baking. If you think there’s no such thing as too much chocolate, then these cookies are your dream come true. There’s also a tiny bit of flour for stability and there’s lots of nuts (hazelnuts and almonds are excellent choices) for texture and crunch.

The first time I tried these was when someone at my YA book club brought them as a snack. They were an instant hit and everyone wanted the recipe. I made a batch immediately and for comparison’s sake, I used plain old Hershey’s semi-sweet chocolate since that’s what I had on hand. The difference was clear. While I wouldn’t kick the Hershey version out of bed, the cookies made with the superior bittersweet chocolate were the clear winners.

As an added bonus, these cookies are really easy to make. So if you’re looking for an instant pick-me-up or something special for your sweet Valentine, give this recipe a try.

Oh, and I’m super thrilled and excited because this blog has been nominated Best Canadian Blog at the 2011 Bloggies!! I’d be so happy if you’d all send in your votes for me! Thanks!

elsewhere: Want to start your morning with crunchy granola tinted with orange, black pepper and cardamom? Head over to Poppytalk for the recipe. Or jump start your meals with some African spice and give harissa a try – find out more over at ReadyMade.

bittersweet chocolate cookies
(adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich)
1/4 c flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (the really good stuff)
2 T butter
2 large eggs
1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
6 oz dark chocolate chunks (again, don’t skimp on quality)
2 c roughly chopped nuts – large chunks preferred (hazelnuts, or almonds)

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk together the flour baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt together the butter and bittersweet chocolate. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together. When the chocolate has melted, briskly whisk in a small amount of the chocolate into the egg mixture and slowly add in the remaining chocolate while whisking. Stir in the flour mixture and then the chocolate chunks and nuts.

Drop cookies by the heaping teaspoon onto a prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-14 minutes and cool on rack. Makes 24 cookies.

Possibly related posts:

• c’mon get happy: chocolate puddle cookies
• c is for cookie: killer chocolate chip cookies

That cute lil’ vintage ornament is sitting on our very silver tinsel tree decorated with a host of other vintage ornaments and sparkling pink lights. My favorite fancy pine candle is lit and spreading that “real” balsam pine smell throughout the room. Presents have all been wrapped up with silver paper and pretty bows and there’s a large bottle of amaretto in our liquor cabinet (essential for my favorite holiday drink: the amaretto sour). Rum cookies have been baked (recipe to come), coconut chocolate almond bites shipped, chocolate nut & fruit bark has been given away to friends, and my favorite holiday movie has been watched. Christmas is almost here!

One of my favorite Christmas traditions to make is candy cane bark. White chocolate + candy canes is a cinch to make, very festive-looking and it’s always appreciated. This year, I decided to shake things up a bit after seeing Shutterbean‘s candy cane bark. The addition of rice krispies makes this into a festive Crunch bar and adds an unexpected texture. It also helps to cut the sweetness just a tad, which is always welcome this time of year. Tracy added the candy canes last and pressed them into the chocolate. Not me. I just stirred everything in all higgledy piggledy because I figured the mish mash would work well. I loved it and this will be my new holiday favorite. Hooray!

tip: This year I discovered THE BEST way of crushing up the candy canes. Add the candy canes (unwrapped) into a closed ziplock bag. Now, double bag it. Then place a folded tea towel on a wood table or chair and place the bag of candy on top. Put another folded tea towel over the candy bag. Use a heavy rolling pin (wood works fine) and bash the living day lights out of the candy. Smushed to smithereens without shredding the bag and getting candy everywhere! Perfect. Now only if I could easily find red and white candy canes in Vancouver as opposed to the green-red-white ones that seem to be everywhere, I’d be one happy lady. What gives, Vancouver?

Have a great holiday! Enjoy traditions new and old. Merry Christmas!

candy cane crisp bark
(adapted from Shutterbean)
500g white chocolate (I used Callebaut – the good stuff)
12 crushed candy canes
2 c rice krispies

Prep a cookie sheet with waxed paper or silpat.

Using a bain marie or double boiler, melt the white chocolate being careful to not get any water in the pot (this can seize the chocolate which is a bad, bad thing). When the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and add in candy canes and rice krispies. Stir until combined and then pour onto prepared cookie sheet. Refrigerate until hardened, about 1 hour. Break apart into shards.

Possibly related posts:

• minty fresh: candy cane chocolate bark
• christmas cake: icebox peppermint yule log

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the sparkling lights, the smell of balsam and eucalyptus, and I’m a sucker for Christmas music. I also love all the gatherings and social good times that pop up during the season. Yet for all of this goodness, there are also packages to mail and people to shop for and the general hurry scurry that goes hand in hand with the holidays.

It’s been a busy few weeks, but I wanted to make sure that I had some sweet treats on hand to help round out the packages I’ve been mailing out. For the package I sent to my dad, I wanted to include these little coconut bites because they reminded me of the coconut chocolate bars that my dad would buy for me and my brother at the corner store when we were kids. It was my dad’s favorite chocolate bar and while it did have a different name and packaging when I was growing up, it turned up in the 90s as a Bounty bar. Each chocolate bar contained 2 equal pieces so it was the perfect bar to share with my brother.

This candy is the perfect memory maker as it tastes just like the candy bar of my youth. And because I’m a sucker for an Almond Joy, I decided to tuck in a roasted almond into each ball to make each bite extra special. It’s a great candy to make for the holidays because it uses just a few simple ingredients it’s way easier to make than you’d imagine.

Looking for more holiday inspiration? Have no fear, my archives are here! Peanut Brittle is not only tasty but it’s a cinch, even for the most novice candy-maker. Last December I was much more prepared in the holiday department and not only created a huge list of tasty holiday baking but I included a printable gift tag for use with all your holiday baking gifts. Have the happiest of holidays!

elsewhere: At Poppytalk, I make a delicious and easy fruit and nut chocolate bark. I make it every single Christmas and it’s a true favorite. Enjoy!

chocolate coconut almond bites
(adapted from Gourmet)
1 1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 c sweetened condensed milk
14 roasted almonds
1 – 1 1/2 c bittersweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut with the sweetened condensed milk. Put in the fridge for 1 hour. Scoop the chilled coconut mixture with a teaspoon and use your hands to roll into balls. This amount should make 14 balls. Tuck an almond into each ball and re-roll so that the almond is hidden. Chill in the fridge.

Melt chocolate using a microwave, a bain-marie or using a double boiler. Remove from heat and dip the chilled coconut balls into the chocolate mixture (I found using 2 teaspoons was helpful for this). Place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or silpat and chill for 2 hours or overnight.

Possibly related posts:

• happy christmas to you: candy cane crisp bark
• have a boozy christmas: rum balls

On October 1st it was my mom‘s birthday and it’s the first one where I couldn’t call her on the phone and sing her happy birthday. The whole week leading up to the day, I felt sad and found myself in tears because it hurts not to have your mom around anymore. But as I wondered how I could celebrate the day, I thought about the chocolate chip cake she always used to make for birthdays. It was baked in a bundt pan and sprinkled with icing sugar and while to others it seems just like an “everyday” kind of cake, for our family, this cake was special.

Heady with vanilla and studded with dark chocolate chips, my favorite part of this cake is actually the golden crust which seems extra buttery and rich. I like that this cake isn’t fussy and it totally suits my mom’s personality. My mom was the epitome of sweetness and kindness and never was the sort to put on a fancy production. That said, whenever we had guests, my mom pulled out the fancy china and silverware and would warm the soup bowls in the oven before serving. She was a very proud woman and this cake and the sprinkling of powdered sugar has an elegance that reflects how she lived.

This cake is also the hands-down favorite of my brother. He always requests it for his birthday and my mom, and now his wife, makes it for him. There are lots of recipes and foods that remind me of my mom, but this cake is special. And now I’m going to adopt this cake as a way to celebrate every October 1st – a lovely reminder of my maman that will really mean something to me and to my family. It’s an ideal way to begin a new tradition.

Elsewhere: Over at Poppytalk I talk figs and even provide a fig recipe – and I’m a bonefide fig hater. Try a Spanish Pan de Higo flourless cake this season.

maman’s chocolate chip cake
1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 6-gram pack Oetker vanilla sugar (or 1 t of vanilla extract)
3 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c corn starch
1 T baking powder
1/2 c milk
1/2 c chocolate chips

Cream butter, gradually add sugar, the vanilla sugar and eggs. Add mixture of sieved flour, corn starch and baking powder alternately with the milk. Mixture should be firm, don’t add too much milk. Finally, add chocolate chips and fill greased and dusted bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. When cool, dust with icing sugar.

Possibly related posts:

• thanksgiving pt. 2: cranberry chutney + pumpkin chocolate chip cake
• snackin’ cake: chocolate chip walnut squares

When I went to San Francisco recently I had a small mission to accomplish: buy Root liquor. Root is a traditional spirit produced by a group of Philly artists known as Art in the Age and they’ve created this root beer wallop from a recipe not seen since the early 20th century. It’s readily available in Philadelphia and in a few North Carolina locations, but not at all available in Canada. Luckily, I found it at Cask, a great San Francisco shop filled with hard-to-find small-batch spirits. $40 later and it was carefully swathed into my luggage bound for Vancouver.

When I got it home, I was eager to give it a taste test to find out it the beautiful packaging outsmarted the flavour inside. Thankfully, the inside is just as beautiful as the outside. We had it over ice and it’s very root beer-ish but with nice herbal notes and it gives a pleasant chest-warming glow. It’s the perfect adult root beer. While I want to try it over ginger beer or mixed with a bit of club soda (there are a lot of great looking recipes & videos on the Art of the Age website), I figured I could use this stuff in baking.

As for the root beer cake, I had been wanting to make this cake forever. The recipe is adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking cookbook which is a well-used cookbook in my kitchen (remember the clumpy crisp granola & the white-out cake?). While I followed the recipe for the cake I decided not to make the fudge root beer frosting, but try out a Root-flavoured whipping cream instead. I thought the whipped cream would be closer to the idea of a root beer float and would pair nicely with the Root liquor.

The cake was well-loved. It’s not too heavy on the root beer – in fact, the cocoa really over powers the flavour of the soda in the cake, so I think it would be safer to call this a really simple & delicious chocolate cake. However, with the addition of the Root cream (get your mind out of the gutter!), this cake is totally over-the-top awesome. If you can’t get ahold of Root, you could try subbing in some root beer schnapps or extract instead.

Want more boozy cake ideas? Try these beloved ones from my archive:

• Jacked up banana bread
• Vegan bittersweet ganache bourbon cupcakes
• Red ale chocolate cake

Elsewhere: You can hear me waxing on about my dream flavour of ice cream over at ReadyMade or drink up a gallon or two of fridge-brewed iced tea over at Poppytalk. It’s hot, it’s seasonal, get some blog refreshment!

root beer cake
(cake recipe adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)
2 c root beer (not diet!)
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c unsalted butter
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t baking soda (or 3 T baking powder)
1 t salt
2 large eggs

root cream
1/2 pint of heavy cream
1 T maple syrup
3 T Root liquor (or 1 T root beer schnapps* or 1-2 t of root beer extract)
1 t vanilla extract

1 maraschino cherry for garnish (optional)

For the cake:
1. Butter and flour a large round cake tin (or 2 small cake tins like I did to make 2 cakes). Preheat oven to 325F.

2. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the root beer, cocoa, butter, white sugar & brown sugar over medium-high heat, stirring often. When the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and let cool.

3. In a large bowl, blend together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and quickly whisk into the root beer mixture. Pour the root beer mixture into the flour bowl, folding gently until just combined. It’s okay if there are some lumps – don’t over-mix or the batter will become tough.

5. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the cake 1/2 way through the baking time so it bakes evenly. Test it with a toothpick and it will be done when there is no wet batter clinging. Let cool briefly on a wire rack. Use a knife to run to loosen the cake from the pan and overturn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the whipped cream:
Whip cream with an electric mixer and when it’s at a softly whipped stage (when soft peaks form), add in the maple syrup and vanilla. Mix until combined and then add in the Root liquor. Continue to whip about a minute or two more until firm peaks form. Spread over the top of the cake and garnish with a maraschino cherry, if desired.

* If using schnapps, don’t add the maple syrup – or just add a bit to taste, as you don’t want the whipped cream to be overly sweet.

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