Sanctuary from The Mad World
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch. - Orson Welles

I was in a town of Speyer, Germany with a group of friends one day when we sat down for a coffee. To accompany our coffee, we picked a piece of what the waitress called ‘yoghurt cake’. It was amazingly flavourful and moist but light with fruit toppings. When I saw this recipe at Orangette, I wondered if it was the same cake.

The result is a moist sponge cake which keeps its texture for days without refrigeration. It’s very easy to make, too, with minimal amount of utensils. I used only a bowl and a wooden spoon to mix the batter.

Following the suggestion from one of the commenters, I topped the lemon juice glaze with chocolate ganache for a chocolate treat (an overkill, I know, but I can’t resist the thought of citrus and chocolate). I’ll probably try the fruit version soon, given the abundance of beautiful little berries in summer.

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The picture at My Kind of Food was calling me.  It was like sunshine captured in one lemony, delicious bar.  And there is something to the words "lemon squares".  I had to make it.  

It took me a while because I’m rather traumatic by anything involving making a crust (the reason I’ve not attempted Quiche Lorraine, an eternal favourite, until now).  But this recipe is easy to follow.  The result was deeply satisfying as refreshing summer dessert.  The tangy flavour also suits my husband who doesn’t have a sweet tooth.  The texture was enticing:  soft, crumbly, neutral biscuit (I managed, yay!) alternates with creamy lemon.  I polished two bars right on the kitchen counter while ‘checking out’ the result. 

Thanks Hungry Gal.  Now I too have something more exciting to bring to dinner parties than my usual Lemon Pound Cake. 

Recipe is verbatim from My Kind of Food (except for those in bold which I tweaked to my taste).

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Servings:  One gigantic slab

It’s been my mission to learn how to airily make scones after tasting the beautiful bits in De Bakkerswinkel Amsterdam. I know they’re in abundance in London too but I do not have a good reference yet so my reference is always the one in Amsterdam.

Anyway, making scones is one of the hardest challenges. How to make it crispy yet soft? How to make it light and fluffy? I did it once but was somehow traumatized by the soft, messy dough and didn’t find the whole experience to be pleasant.

I tried again with this recipe, a combination of Chubby Hubby’s and 101 Cookbooks’, and made one gigantic, jam-filled slab.   I love it.  The idea from 101 Cookbooks was practical and, as always, CH’s taste is one I can trust. 


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Servings: six

Bouchon from Thomas Keller turns out to be a book I consult quite often for my weekly menu. This time, I tried Bouchon. I’m sure you’re dizzy now. Allow me.

Bouchon is the name of Thomas Keller’s bistro (of which the cookbook is named after). It can also refer to a cake, the cork (in French) and a type of restaurant found in Lyon, serving those delectable, hard-core Lyonnaise specialties (quenelles, andouillette, boudin, etc). Did I miss anything?

The cake, named after the cork, is very chocolaty. Hot, they’re moist and soft (but not spongy) in the middle, chewy and slightly crusty on the outside. They’re great cure for chocolate craving as they’re easy and quick to make. I personally think that one small one is the perfect dose as they’re very rich.  Cold, they’re more suitable for wolfing down and do resemble very fine (ie. not the coarse, chunky) brownies.

I use the small (5-cm diameter, 3-cm tall) muffin cups to yield six because I want smaller portions. Unfortunately, they didn’t exactly turn out shaped like little corks. But that’s OK as the squat muffin moulds make the cakes look impressive for entertaining: all French and elegant dusted with white powder (sugar, not coke!).

Modified to scale from Bouchon.


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I was restless one Sunday and craving for something chocolatey and sweet to go with my afternoon coffee. So I made this easy chocolate loaf cake, a suggested modification from Maidera Loaf Cake in Coffee & Bites. Interestingly textured due to the ground almond, the cake is is excellent with strong espresso.

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