Behold, my week in cakes. (Because I suspect many of you enjoy looking at photos of sweets more than actually baking the sweets.)

And possibly my favourite: the LionBear Smash Cake.

In case you’re feeling productive:

• Swiss meringue buttercream (the addition of melted and cooled chocolate makes the most divine chocolate frosting on the planet)
• easy chocolate cupcakes
• how to pipe petals on cupcakes
• make a pumpkin carriage cake topper

I no longer blog about food. But don’t fret!

You can find the recipe for this 6-inch cake and frosting in this ebook:

Behold a petit two layer, 6-inch chocolate cake. Simple and delicious.

This cake is a shout out to simplicity – moist, flavourful and light.

The frosting has coffee in it. It makes the texture soft, silky and easy to spread. A hat-tip to the classic, homestyle frosting you probably gobbled up as a child. You get a little of the coffee flavour, but I’m reluctant to call it a mocha frosting as it doesn’t pack a weighty punch. You’ll taste a hint of java which pairs perfectly with the chocolate layers below it. Bonus: you’ll have just enough frosting to fill between the layers and frost the cake. No waste!

Dear Thijs,

Welcome to the world! This means nothing coming from a complete stranger, of course, but your mother is one of my dearest friends. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her friendship and influence, which is something we will now have in common.

My mother, Rosie Beaucoup, was in the delivery room when your mother was born. (Nothing creepy – Rosie was a nurse then.) I’ve been hanging around with your mother ever since. That’s a lot of years, little man. What keeps two people together for that long? The Golden Girls, poop stories and cake. That’s my best life advice for you, by the way – laugh a lot and don’t be afraid to eat whatever the heck you want.

Speaking of cake – and because your dad is Dutch – I thought this traditional butter cake might suit the occasion of your birth. Also (spoiler alert) I don’t think your mother knows how to bake, so this seems approachable and difficult to screw up. Alternatively, ask your dad to make it. It is a simple cake – perfect for parents dealing with your demands needs. It could easily be whipped up after someone has, say, pooped all over the house and is finally napping. (Not cool, dude.)

Do me a solid and cut your mother some slack, okay? Her job has her living all over the world, and I can’t step in and do all the things a good friend would normally do. Like, for example, reminding her repeatedly that she’s going to be a great mother. And telling her to ignore those other mothers who will be all too happy to tell her what she’s doing wrong, because that’s the worst wrong of all.

As Sophia Petrillo would say:

… this is living. Just because you’re going through some rough times doesn’t mean you throw in the towel. You keep living. And eating.

Sage words, little man. Sage words.

Lots of love,
xox movita

. . .

This almond-flavoured snacking cake is somewhat dense, and is even better on the second day. It is delightful when topped with a good dusting of icing sugar. It makes a small, 8-inch cake, which is best enjoyed with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Boterkoek {Dutch Butter Cake}

recipe: adapted from allrecipes.com

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Yields one 8 inch cake.

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature, beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• icing (confectioner’s) sugar for garnish (optional)

Mise en place – start by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe before beginning. Measure out all of your ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour and baking powder, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a hand-held mixer (or stand mixer), until light and fluffy.

Add the beaten egg and mix until well combined. Beat in the almond extract.

Stir in the flour mixture by hand, making sure the ingredients are well combined. The batter will be thick and somewhat stiff.

Press evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes – until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Invert onto the wire rack, remove the parchment paper, and then allow to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar prior to serving.

Cut into wedges to serve. Store tightly wrapped or in an airtight container.

Have you tried making Finnish Pulla yet? Are you still petrified of yeast? Well, let’s take a step back in bread baking. Let’s make some classic pizza dough.

This recipe is adapted only slightly from the one we used at baking school. It’s from one of our textbooks, so when using this recipe, imagine that you’re wearing an ill-fitted chef’s jacket, black checkered pants, long apron, and a hat that makes you look ridiculous. Everything you’re wearing is too big. This is because during your uniform fitting, you were told you’d put on weight at baking school – an average of 10 pounds – and they insisted that you leave ample growing room. So, when you lose 15 pounds in the first month (due to freaking out), the costume is 25 pounds too big for the remainder of the year.

Here’s the thing with culinary school textbooks: they give no procedure – nothing very helpful anyway. Because it is assumed that culinary students are freakin’ geniuses and have been paying attention in theory class. Seems risky, if you ask me, but I guess that’s why I don’t write textbooks. So, I’ve added notes for you. Some tips to help you along the way. Also, Italian seasoning. Because it’s awesome. Know that this recipe is very easy to make, and if you’ve been fearing the Yeast Beast, this is a great way to get your feet wet.

This is a classic pizza dough – not a thin crust. It will get poofy and soft as it bakes, and if you allow the bottom and edges to brown properly, you’ll get a little crunch with your bite. I think you’ll enjoy the crust as much as your chosen toppings. A crust should shine, am I right?

You can make two smallish pizzas (10 inches each) with this recipe, or one large pizza. Heck, you could make a bunch of mini pizzas if you like. If you have a pizza stone, bake your pizza pie on that. Or use whatever baking sheets you have. If your baking sheets are dark (rather than shiny silver), the bottom of the crust will brown a little better, so if you’ve got a choice, I’d go with the darker.

This recipe, for the most part, is given in weights. So yes, you’ll need that kitchen scale now, and a liquid measuring cup. When scaling your ingredients, don’t switch back and forth between metric and imperial, okay? It won’t work. I think metric is easier, so I listed those measurements first. Either way, pick one, and scale all of your ingredients accordingly. That’s, like, lesson one at baking school. That, and: don’t get sucked into that big piece of machinery.

During the first round of testing, when I asked 2.0 to describe this crust for you, he mumbled the word beautiful, and then refused to speak as he scarfed down another slice. Need I say more?

. . .

Classic Pizza Dough

recipe: adapted from On Baking, A Textbook of Baking & Pastry Fundamentals

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Yields roughly 2 smallish (10-inch) pizzas, or one large pizza.

• 420 grams (14 oz.) bread flour
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 12 grams (0.4 oz.) active dry yeast
• 60 ml. (2 fl. oz.) water, hot (32°C/90°F)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 30 ml (1 fl. oz.) olive oil
• 20 grams (0.75 oz.) honey
• 180 ml. (6 fl. oz.) water, cool

Mise en place – start by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe before beginning. Measure out all of your ingredients. When scaling your ingredients, do all in metric (grams, ml.) or all imperial (oz) – don’t switch back and forth. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make this recipe entirely by hand. Pizzas can be baked on pizza stones or regular baking sheets. Dark baking sheets will brown the bottom of the pizza more quickly and effectively than silver sheets, so if you have a choice, I’d opt for the darker.

Line two pizza pans with parchment paper – one if making a large pizza.

Whisk together the bread flour and Italian seasoning. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook, sprinkle the dry active yeast over the 60 ml. water and whisk to dissolve. The temperature of water should be 90°F/32°C – be sure to take the temperature once the water is in your bowl in case it lowers the temp of the water.

Add the flour mixture – no need to mix. Then add the salt, olive oil and honey and cool water. Mix on low speed until somewhat smooth and elastic, and the dough cleans the sides of the bowl – 2-3 minutes. It will be raggedy at first, but will come together form a sticky dough.

Remove the dough from the mixer and knead by hand for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth and silky. The dough will feel soft and elastic, and no longer be sticky.

Shape into a roundish ball, and place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and then turn/flip the dough to ensure the top of the dough ball is also lightly greased. Cover tightly with saran wrap and a clean dish towel. Allow the dough to proof in a warm spot until approximately doubled in size – about 30 minutes or more.

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.

Punch down the dough and divide into two equal portions (if making two pizzas). Roll out the portions of dough on a lightly floured surface, shaping each into a 10 inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick), and place on the parchment lined baking sheets. Reshape with fingers if necessary, spreading and pressing the dough to desired shape and even thickness.

Top as desired, leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 inch space at the edges so the toppings don’t overflow during baking.

Bake for about 9-13 minutes, until the top of the crust is golden brown and poofed up. Use a spatula to gently lift a portion of the pizza from the pan – the bottom should be lightly browned.

If your oven is small, and you’re making two pizzas, your pizzas might not fit on the same rack. In order to ensure both the top and bottom of the pizza get browned, you can:

• bake one at a time (i.e. prep one of the pizzas and while it’s baking, prep the second pizza), or
• bake at the same time, rotating pizzas from rack to rack at least once so each pizza is exposed to both the top and bottom elements of the oven

These are my go-to chocolate cupcakes. Rich, tender and chocolatey. A classic cupcake that never lets me down. And though I should probably keep ’em top secret, I’m not going to. Because I want you to succeed. I want you to win at baking. I want you to feel like you can be almost nearly as great as I am.

These cupcakes take only minutes to throw together and no stand mixer is required. Got a whisk? That’s all you need. Heck, you could use a spoon in a pinch. This recipe is easily doubled if you need extras, and you can top ’em with whatever sort of frosting you might like. So when you’re going through your kid’s backpack at 10 pm, and find that note requesting a buttload of cupcakes by 8 am tomorrow? MAKE THESE.

Need a frosting recipe? Don’t fret. I’ve got you covered. Hows about a soft, sweet, chocolatey number? It’s got a little gloss to it, and though it’s not suitable for piping, it is easily spread over the cupcakes with a palette knife or spoon. It, too, is extremely easy to throw together, making it a great last minute option. (Got a large pan of brownies that needs dressing up? This will work!) I’d recommend using a hand mixer to whip this frosting into a smooth, spreadable topping, but if you’ve got arms like Hulk Hogan? You could probably do it by hand.

Some of you keeners will be wondering about the fondant hearts. Well, they aren’t an exact science. You’ll have to play around a bit, and you’ll get different results every time. I’ll give you an idea of what I did below. I made the hearts two days ahead of time so they’d be nice and hard for standing up in the cupcakes. Buy some fondant if you don’t want to make it. (Seriously. Don’t be a hero. Just buy it.)

To make the striped hearts (this is merely a guideline):

1. Knead and dye some fondant with gel paste food colouring. Any colours you like. I’d recommend making four complimentary colours, but go ahead with that sports team tribute if you like. I don’t have quantities for you – it depends on how many hearts you need. You’ll be rolling the fondant out thin, so don’t make a pound of the stuff – a large handful of fondant will probably be enough – make a little extra if you’re unsure. I use shortening on my hands and counter to prevent sticking – just a thin coating.

2. Work quickly, as this stuff has a tendency to dry out – keep the portions you aren’t working with tightly wrapped until you need them. Roll a small portion of each colour into strips/snakes, each about the same length – 5-6 inches long. If you want one colour to be more dominant, use a larger portion of that.

3. Lay the strips beside each other, nice and snug, and pinch the ends together.

4. Twist a few times up the length of the rope.

5. Fold in half.

6. Twist again. Don’t worry if some of the strips break. You’ll be rolling it all out.

7. Roll out. Work from the centre out. Small cracks can be smoothed with your fingers. Roll to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut in desired shapes. (Again, I use a thin coating of shortening on my counter to prevent sticking.)

To make the tie-dyed hearts:

8. Use the scraps from the striped hearts. Gather the scraps into a ball.

9. Squeeze gently together (I only squeezed twice).

10. Roll and cut out.

If you want to skip the striped hearts – making only the tie-dyed – you could follow steps 1-6 from above, and then gently squeeze a few times before rolling/cutting.

2.0 and I don’t really believe in Valentine’s Day (we know it exists, we just think it’s dumb), so we’d like to suggest that you make these for Saint Patrick’s Day to throw people off.

. . .

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

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• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mise en place – start by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe before beginning. Measure out all of your ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners – paper or foil.

Place the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, instant espresso (if using) and salt in a bowl, and whisk well to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, canola oil and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the flour mixture and whisk until well combined and no large lumps remain. (Tiny lumps are fine.)

Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake wells. An ice cream scoop makes this easier. Don’t fill more than 3/4 full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

. . .

Simple Chocolate Frosting

Yields enough to frost 12 cupcakes – this is a soft, spreadable frosting, not suitable for piping.

print and cover stuff with frosting

• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (you can use chocolate chips)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mise en place – start by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe before beginning. Measure out all of your ingredients. This frosting can be made with a stand or hand mixer.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a stainless steel bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, stirring until completely melted and smooth. You can also do this in the microwave – use a low power setting, and heat gently to melt.

Place the sifted icing sugar, salt, heavy cream and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the melted chocolate and butter and mix with an handheld mixer (you can do this in a stand mixer as well). Mix on low speed at first, and then increase speed to medium and beat until well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl at least once during mixing to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Use a palette knife or spoon to spread the frosting onto cupcakes.