Carrot cake is a quintessential dessert of spring. This recipe is moist slightly sweet, and perfectly spiced. It is paired with a rich and velvety cream cheese frosting.
Asparagus is so beautiful this time of year, so I wanted to create a recipe around it. I made some basil and pumpkin seed pesto, and drizzled it on toasted bread with asparagus, avocado, and shaved Parmesan.
Because his family is a true-to-the-bone pancake family, I really wanted him to share with me the secrets to making a good pancake, thin and delicate, perfectly browned on the outside, soft on the inside. He gave me a recipe, one that he has memorized. A set of very specific instructions, the right temp, the right amount of time for frying. I followed it to a tee, and sure enough, the pancakes came out the way I had always dreamed they would.
The cake recipe I used is a good one - the best I've ever made. It always turns out so moist and chocolaty that I have a hard time even considering a different option. I used a chocolate ganache to layer the cake, and a chocolate buttercream frosting for the fancy decorations. I was in a bit of a rush when I iced the cake, underestimating the amount of time it would take to frost and take photos.
I rarely need an excuse to make a cake. I do however need people with a healthy appetite for sugar and butter. Surely, there is no point in making a cake and eating it all to yourself. Cake is meant to be shared with friends and family and is meant to bring people together. It is sweet, often colorful, and sometimes filled with coins wrapped in parchment paper, thanks to my grandmother.
