A Juneteenth Cake

Honored to be asked to make a cake for our town's Juneteenth celebration this weekend. There were great speakers, a presentation on the work being done by many to preserve and memorialize Altadena's rich Black history and significance, poetry reading, song and an appearance from Assemblyman Chris Holden.

Make It: Our Favorite Hot Weather Desserts

Summer is nearly here and that means it’s time for backyard parties and outdoor hangs and grill outs and –summer desserts and treats and ice cream cakes! Here are a few of our favorite recipes to make at home. Can’t go wrong with a bottle of low sugar Summer Water rosé, like this magnum right here, either!

Make It: Vegan MEXICAN Spiced Chocolate Ganache

If you’re like me and you love all things spiced every time fall rolls around, this flavor profile is a great summer spin on the theme – that pairs especially well with grilled tropical fruits.. Ganache is usually made with a 1:1 ratio of dark chocolate and heavy cream but this is easily made dairy free and vegan by swapping the grass fed heavy cream for coconut cream and being mindful of your chocolate sourcing.

Robin's Egg Mini Cakes

Spring has sprung! Lots of spring themed cakes went out this week including this 4” three layer Raspberry White Chocolate Cake – Berry Cake + Raspberry Buttercream + White Chocolate Buttercream + White Chocolate. Finished with a layer of vanilla bean buttercream colored robin's egg blue with butterfly pea flower and a black cocoa and vanilla speckle.

A Better Red Velvet

So, what is red velvet? Red velvet cake is a light vanilla and cocoa based cake (it’s not a chocolate! cake) that became popular in the south where it was originally made with a type of non-Dutched cocoa that was rich in anthocyanin – the natural pigment that gives many plants their black, blue, purple or red color – that when mixed with vinegar in this cake creates a natural brownish red color. In the decades since, the cake has been most often colored using lots (and lots) of artificial red food coloring aka petroleum based FD&C Red 40. That aftertaste after you eat something artificially colored red? That’s the FD&C Red 40 talking. Yuck. Ours uses organic beet…

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake & Notella

One of my favorite flavors is Nutella but if you’ve read the ingredient label lately, well, once you know, it’s hard to un-know! Enter my Notella. I wanted to use this rich chocolate and hazelnut flavor in my cakes but I didn’t want the junk in Nutella, so I had to figure out how to make my own.