Garden update Part 1

Last year Mr. Ramon and I built a little garden in the backyard of the house we are renting. He put up a great little fence and we put in a few beds. We wanted to upgrade our garden in a couple ways this year.

In between the beds our garden was filled with grass. I didn't look bad but was a real pain to Mr. Ramon when it grew long and he had to mow and weed eat between the beds and around the fence. Just awkward. It seemed like to much work to tear all the grass out so we came up with a solution.

Mr. Ramon mowed the grass as low as possible and we covered it with weed barrier cloth. I thought this was going to be super hard - cutting and fitting the cloth in the garden. But it turned out to be really easy to work with. I used these big metal hairpins for lack of a better word to tack the cloth to the ground. The cloth we chose breathes so water will move through it. But it will keep the grass from coming through.

Our next step is to go to the garden center and pick up the play chips needed to co re the cloth.

Stay tuned for the final piece!

Spring love

Spring has sprung here in Seattle. The sun is out today as I sit in a small cafe on Capital Hill and catch up on bills, writing and emails. In fact it might hot 70 today. Beautiful. This is one of my favorite times of year in Seattle and after a long grey 6 months it is a welcome change. Everything feels fresh and new.

Later today I need to get out in the yard and weed the rose bed. The dogs will love hanging out with me sunbathing on the porch. This is a perfect day off. I hope you are having a wonderful spring!

Crumb Coffee Cake

This picture is nothing special. In fact it is quite unattractive. We hosted an Easter weekend brunch and I wanted to make a coffee cake. No time for pictures before the brunch and then the work week started and I was on my regular race through it - that left plenty of time to eat this delicious cake but no time to properly photograph it. But in the last ditch effort to capture this amazing coffee cake, I threw the last piece on a plate and took this picture. 

I have a love affair with coffee cakes. They speak to me of a time when there was time. When people sat down for coffee and cake and took a moment to connect with themselves or someone special. I think that in my ideal world there would always be a coffee cake on hand for when a neighbor or friend stops in to chat. 

I adore funnel pans and bundt pans. Big cakes that cut unto hefty wedges of butter, cinnamon, fruit and glaze. Great on their own and even better with a cup of coffee. I have been eying the New York Crumb Cake recipe in the Baked Explorations recipe book. If you don't know about the gentlemen from Baked let me introduce you. "Matt and Renato really, really like dessert. Perhaps, a little too much." With a love a baking and bakeries on the side of their regular day jobs they eventually were able to open Baked in NYC. They still run this bakery as well as continue to write beautiful cookbooks. To say I have a crush would be putting it mildly. They are to me, the Justin Bieber of the baking world and I am a great fan. 

Crumb Coffee cake baking has eluded me until now. I have eaten my fair share and appreciate the ratio of crumb to cake. Far more crumb than cake. This is what makes a NY crumb cake different. My good friend Jessie of CakeSpy and an East Coast native loves some crumb cake. If possible the more crumb the better. She had been on my mind lately and that was part of my decision to tackle this cake. 

An easy recipe to follow as all the Baked recipes are. Be warned - I do know that some of my crumb topping never made it to the cake. It was irresistible. I don't like to talk out loud about how much butter went into it either. 

New York Crumb Cake
recipe from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis & Renalto Poliafito


Crumb Topping
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted (and still warm)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.  

To make the crumb topping: Whisk the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.  Add the melted butter and whisk to combine.  Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour.

To make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, letting the first incorporate fully before adding the second.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for an additional 30 seconds.  Add the sour cream and vanilla to the mixer and beat until just incorporated.  Finally, add the flour mixture in thirds, beating just until combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.  The batter will be thick, use a spatula to spread it evenly.  Pick up the crumb topping by handfuls, and break off chunks, scattering them over the top of the batter.  Use all of the topping.

Bake for 45-55 minutes (rotating the pan at 15 minute intervals), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

Dreaming of spring!

While it is still technically winter we are starting to get glimpses of spring here in the Pacific North West. Bulbs are sprouting and the first daffodils are open with their happy yellow faces teasing the rain. A day here and there of brilliant sunshine. These days get me so excited for starting the garden. This last weekend we carved out a small bed against the fence of our garden and put in Sugar Peas and Snap Peas. I loved working out in the garden, digging in the dirt again.

Today it rains again so I took some time to start planning our garden. Drawing out the beds and pouring over the Maritime Northwest Garden Guide to plan when to put in each plant. Day-dreaming of lettuce, tomatoes, squash and the like. Looking through our carrot seeds spurred me to bake today. I had an abundance of carrots in the refrigerator and with every store filled full of Easter candy and stuffed bunnies holding carrots it just seemed appropriate to make some Carrot Ginger Bread. 

I love quick breads. They are just that quick. The outcome feels like you worked harder than you did and they are all so yummy. This one is filled with fresh grated carrots and several types of ginger for a spicy punch. Top it off with a ginger cream cheese frosting.

Carrot Ginger Quick Bread

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed finely grated carrots (from about 2 carrots)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and dry spices.

In your electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, ginger and carrots.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

Let cool in pan 5 minutes.

Turn cake out onto a wire rack, and let cool completely.

Frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh finely grated ginger
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Beat all ingredients until fluffy. 

Frost top of cooled cake.

Ginger Carrot Cake Cookies

While every blog this month is filled with salads and juice cleanses I thought I would tempt you with a vegetable filled cookie.  

While a giant cake topped with mounds of cream cheese frosting is a delight - cakes in general can be hard to manage for some gatherings. I wanted carrot cake that was portable. After several recipe attempts I landed on one filled with spicy ginger and plump golden raisins. These are great as soon as they are made or they can be be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. I think they are delicious chilled. 

Filling 

• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, ginger and lemon zest until smooth. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat until combined. Cover and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

 Cookies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed, finely grated, peeled carrots
• 1/3 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, whisk together butter, Ginger, sugars, and egg yolk.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, and salt.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until combined.

Mix in oats, carrots, and currants.

Drop tablespoons of dough - 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets and flatten.

Bake until edges are crisp, rotating baking sheets halfway through, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Turn half the cookies over, bottom side up; dollop each with about 1 teaspoon chilled cream-cheese filling. Top with remaining cookies, pressing gently to spread filling to edges. 

Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for 1 day.