Yogurt Berry Dessert

Delish!

In a medium bowl mix the following:

2 cups plain Greek style yogurt
Squirt in honey to your liking
1 orange zest
Grate a few pieces of crystalized ginger
Gently stir.

Add berries to bottom of dish (we love Blackberries in this)
Scoop and cover berries with yogurt mix

You can add more berries on top.

Audrey's Coconut Flour Cake

This is such a great cake.  Easy and SO good.  I got the recipe from my lovely friend, Audrey, hence the name:)

Now I say easy but it took me 3 tries until I got it right.  My first mistake was melting the coconut oil in the microwave.  Big no-no.  Then I believe I rushed through the recipe.  You can't.  You must be patient and slow when adding the ingredients. So learn from my ooops and follow along and you too will make this sucker weekly! OK.  Maybe monthly :)

Recipe and notes:

1/3 Cup coconut oil
1/2 Cup cocoa powder (I use Trader Joes or Dutch from Tacoma Boys)
Mix these together in a small saucepan on low heat.  Stirring occasionally until lumps are gone.  Takes a couple of minutes.  Leave in saucepan and set aside.

In a mixer (or hand mixer):
6 eggs (beat on medium until mixed)
Add 1 Cup sugar (coconut sugar was good but organic sugar is what I use).  Mix.

Add to mixer:
1/4 tsp salt (recipe calls for 1/2 but I lowered to 1/4)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla (I love vanilla so I just pour Ha!)
Mix.

Slowly add the coconut oil and cocoa powder to the mixer.  Slowly or it will break.  Scrape the saucepan with a spatula and get all the powder/oil in the mix.

Now add 1/2 Cup coconut flour slowly while on medium.  I seriously take a lot of time adding that 1/2 cup of coconut flour.  Like, really a small bit at a time.  Then scrape sides of mixing bowl with a spatula and mix in any flour off of the sides.

Pour batter into an 8x8 pan with a small amount of coconut oil on the bottom.

Bake at 350° for 25 - 35 minutes. I have a hot oven and 25 minutes is perfect.  Just use a toothpick to check.

Once out of the oven it should have risen slightly.  The inside is somewhat gooey and fluffy.

Before long you'll be able to make this in your sleep.  Oh cake dreams.....

Batter ............. and done.

Thank you Audrey!  We love this cake!

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes! Vegan Too

So Easy to make!

1 box of Devils Food Cake Mix (you dont need any of the other ingredients as noted on the box)
1/2 Cup Water
1 can Pumpkin (15 oz)

Mix together and bake at 350 for 18 - 22 minutes.

I added mini chocolate chips* optional.

So moist and flaky you wont need icing!

No dairy ingredient either, so they are vegan.

Cornmeal Cake with Balsamic Syrup

I know this sounds like a very strange recipe but I swear it is one of the BEST desserts I have ever eaten and have now made over and over.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream

For the Balsamic Syrup:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• small sprig fresh rosemary

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the cake:

Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour, minced rosemary, baking powder, and salt.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, on low speed beat the butter and vanilla together until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sour cream. On low speed add the dry ingredients just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the lower third of the oven until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. Transfer the cake from the pan to a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar.

For the Balsamic Syrup:

Place the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig and let the syrup cool.

To serve, place a slice of cake on a serving plate; spoon some syrup around the plate.

Tip: I have two large pots outside with rosemary that I use for this dish.

Yogurt, Berries & Crystallized Ginger

Ingredients

• 1 pint good quality Greek style plain whole milk yogurt
• 4 to 5 pieces crystallized ginger, grated
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup honey
• 1 orange zested
• 2 pints black berries

Directions

In a bowl combine the yogurt, grated crystallized ginger, honey and orange zest. Let the yogurt mixture sit for about 5 minutes, the flavors will meld together a bit. Divide the blackberries between 4 dessert bowls, top with a large dollop of the yogurt mixture and then give each dollop a drizzle of honey for a sweet finish.

Tip: Go ahead a buy a nice quantity of crystallized ginger (check your local grocery bulk section). They last forever and you will use them in many dishes and drinks.