Rekindle the art of home baking.
Happy Valentines (Pal-entines/Gal-entines) Day to you!
This week we’ve been talking about baking/cooking for the people you cherish most. To nourish someone from the inside out with something that you’ve taken the time to prepare for them is one of the truest forms of love… at least in our eyes!
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No matter the occasion, when we come together with our people to celebrate, share good news or support each other through disappointment and grief, food is the first thing we think of to show our support, and thusly becomes heavily intertwined in our memories, good and bad. Cooking for someone is one of the purest forms of love, and a thoughtful, non-verbal way to show affection and dedication to the people you cherish. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of someone’s cooking during a time when you needed extra comfort and care, you know just how appreciated it really is.
In celebration of Valentines Day we wanted to share some of the go-to recipes we make for our favourite people, in good times and bad. Happy baking!
One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake: “I make this chocolate cake—in part because I’ve made it since I was a child and it’s so easy, and because eating chocolate cake makes you feel special!” – Sophie
Molasses Baked Beans: “It’s total comfort food!”. Our resident East Coaster, Kelly Neil, makes this cozy pot of baked beans when someone she loves needs a little pick-me-up.
Vegan Cinnamon Cardamom Buns: “I make cinnamon buns for people if they’re not feeling well, or for any kind of care-package idea. Everyone loves cinnamon buns. I also make these if I’m anxious or depressed as the whole process of bread making, kneading, twisting, etc. is time consuming and calming.” – Alexandra
Easy Gluten Free Blender Waffles: Waking up to fresh waffles is a sure fire sign that someone loves you. These blender waffles come together quickly, and as Heidi says, “Who doesn’t love waffles?!”.
Skillet Vegan Cornbread with Herby Jalapeno Butter: Ashley likes to pair this fragrant cornbread with grilled meat/veg, or on its own warm from the oven with softened butter and a little bit of honey. If you’re making it for someone special, pack it in a basket with a jar of soup or some preserves so it makes an easy meal.
No Knead Pumpkin Millet Bread: A loaf of fresh bread turns almost anything into a meal which is really nice when you’re tied up in life and don’t feel up to cooking. Kris recommends slathering this pumpkin millet bread with ricotta cheese, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkling of sea salt when it’s still warm from the oven.
Thick & Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Dark Chocolate Cookies: “I’m more of a cook than a baker, so if I’m baking for you then I must really love you! These cookies are my go-to care-package cookies since they’re full of feel-good ingredients but have enough sweetness and chocolate to feel like a treat!” – Kelly
Stay tuned for a special chocolatey baked treat we’ll be sharing later this week, and for more baking inspiration, check out our recipe archive!
If you’re baking along with us, tag @baked_theblog on Instagram and hashtag it #bakedtheblog so we can see what’s cooking.
Baking was not something that often happened in my household growing up. My mom made a lot of Asian desserts like peanut filled mochi, steamed sweet egg custard, Chinese dessert soups, but if we were to have cakes in the house they were most likely store-bought. My mom did make one type of cake occasionally for special occasions — if any baking was done in our household, it was to bake a magically soft and eggy loaf cake. …
Based on the amount of choux I have made in the last little while, I could start a blog dedicated to cream puffs. Maybe I could include an eclair or Paris-Brest recipe in that blog to keep things interesting. I could call the blog Choux Corner, If the Choux Fits, or some other terrible pun involving the pronunciation of ‘choux’ (which actually sounds a lot like ‘shoo’ than ‘cho’). Choux pastry is extremely versatile and is the base of many great pastries. For our recent Tutorial Tuesday, we shared a basic choux pastry recipe and craquelin recipe which would work as a great starting point for cream puffs, éclairs, or if you’re filling ambitious, a croquembouche (a tall impressive tower of profiteroles). Today we will be focusing on a cream puff — a cream puff filled with the dreamiest whipped earl grey chocolate ganache and blueberry whipped cream. I stepped earl grey tea in the heavy cream before combining it with a 36% Caramelia chocolate from Valrhona, which you need to get your hands on if you have not tried it before. It is then whipped into a lush ganache and filled inside the base of the choux. The whipped cream is coloured and flavoured by a simple stove top blueberry syrup. If you had any extra blueberries, you can whip a simple blueberry glaze for the little hats of your cream puff. I topped mine of with a few gold sprinkles for good measure. That last step is completely optional but a little gold never hurt.
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