dessert

BLACKOUT BANANA BREAD CAKE 🖤(GLUTEN-FREE) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

happy (almost) valentine’s day, friends :) i can’t say that this holiday has had any special meaning to me over the years. i’d much rather celebrate how i did when i was a kid in elementary school - making festive crafts with specific tones of colors, baking valentine cupcakes, wearing clothing outfitted with hearts and cheesy logos, etc.! i feel like those vibes have been resurrected somewhat now that amesy is going school and he’s getting to partake in those kinds of activities. this past weekend i spent a significant amount of time picking out little valentine cards for his classmates. i was kind of overwhelmed and overjoyed at the selection, and i found the most simplistic joy in picking them out (don’t ask me why!).

i also wanted to bake something super chocolatey too, because this time of year, when the winter seems to never want to let up, you tend to need something to counter that. some people medicate with hot soup or stew, others with tea. me? i need a bone-soothing, deep, dark chocolate cake to sink my teeth into. plus, it doesn’t hurt that all amesy asks for is “chaw-colate cake” . seriously though, i don’t know where he even got the notion from but he asks for it almost every night, and does so with the cutest little new york accent. anywho, who am i to deny my child chocolate cake, especially on valentine’s day?

the first iteration of this cake was delicious, but not dark enough. the second, the chocolate ganache topping wasn’t runny enough. but the third one, was absolutely perfect. the cake had a nice crumb to it, not overly moist or dense, but not crumbly or dry either. but the ganache was where it was at. it’s a two-ingredient recipe, using dark chocolate and coconut milk that still dries glossy and beautiful (i’m partial to this since you can make the cake ahead of time and it still looks like you just made it!). lastly, there are some dried rose petals just for valentine kicks, plus i just think they look pretty.

hope your week is good one! xo!

BLACKOUT BANANA BREAD CAKE | gf & df

feel free to use whatever decorations you like here. conversation hearts (do they still make those?), white, pink, and red sprinkles! heart sprinkles, etc. i used dried, food-grade rose petals from a local shop (but you can also get them online).

print the recipe!

| makes 1 round 8-inch bundt cake |

-1 cup fine brown rice flour

-1/2 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)

-3/4 cup coconut sugar

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-3/4 teaspoon baking powder

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1 cup banana mashed bananas (approx. 2-3 bananas)

-1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the pan

-2 large free range eggs, at room temp

-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-1/2 cup chopped chocolate chunks (optional)

-dried food-grade roses

chocolate ganache

-6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

-2/3 cup coconut milk

method

-preheat oven to 350°F. oil your pan and flour it with cacao powder (or cocoa powder if that’s what you’re using).

-in a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and cacao (or cocoa) powder, then whisk in the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

-in another large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla. add half the dry ingredients into the wet and mix together with a rubber spatula until incorporated. add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. if using, fold in the chocolate chunks at this point.

-pour the batter evenly into the pan. use a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon to smooth the top of the cake.

-bake for 35-45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool. once fully cooled, run a thin knife around the edges of the pan. invert the cake onto a platter or large plate.

-make the chocolate ganache. place the chocolate chunks into a heat tolerant bowl. heat the coconut milk over medium low until steaming and hot (it shouldn’t be so hot that you can’t quickly stick your finger in). pour the coconut milk over the chocolate and let sit for about 2 minutes. use a rubber spatula to stir the ganache together until it’s completely mixed.

- pour 1/2-3/4 ganache over the top of the cake. use an offset spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the top, letting some fall down the sides of the cake. decorate the top and sides of the cake with crushed rose petals (if using), and store the remaining ganache in a lidded jar in your fridge for up to 1 week.

-slice cake and serve!

PEANUT BUTTER MOCHI CAKE FROM "A COMMON TABLE" /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i’m so excited to share this recipe with you today, it’s delicious and subtle, and the perfect thing to break up frigid winter days. i think i’m preaching to the choir when i say that peanut butter is pretty good at doing that! the first time i was acquainted with mochi was in the form of ice cream at the grocery store when frank and i were dating. frank was a big fan, so that night we went home with a box of bubbies mochi ice cream. the mochi was a smooth dough that enveloped the entire hunk of ice cream, making it the ultimate ice cream sandwich - it was such a treat! from that point on i was hooked, but i had never seen many recipes utilizing mochi until i opened the beautiful pages of cynthia’s book.

again, i’m probably preaching to the choir, when i express to you how undeniably lovely cynthia’s work is. i became a big admirer of her blog, two red bowls, back in the day (circa 2014 maybe?). we were both living not too far from each other in brooklyn, and i remember just diving in to her beautiful world. i still continue to find myself mesmerized by her ability to weave food, photography, culture, and most importantly human connection into everything she does. it’s something so rare to be able to do with such honesty.

cynthia’s book, much like her blog, is beautifully woven with recipes that pull from her chinese heritage as well as her upbringing in the south. you’ll find recipes from all sections of her book that intertwine and honor her culture. most notably (at least to me) her cheddar-scallion biscuits (which i made for thanksgiving and are out of this world delicious), a traditional swirl bread with matcha glaze, mochi pancakes (!!), kimchi quesadillas, shoyu poke, and i’m still troubleshooting a gluten-free version of her black sesame chocolate loaf!

but let’s talk peanut mochi cake because i’ve been wondering why the heck i’ve never baked with sweet rice flour until now. it’s naturally gluten-free and gives you the most springy soft texture - win, win! and this recipe couldn’t be easier to make. while cynthia mentioned a few different fillings, i went with peanut butter. when i was flipping through her book, what drew me in the most to this recipe was the perfect little dollops of peanut butter filling. the peanut butter mixture is dolloped across half the batter, then topped with the remaining batter. so when it’s all said and done, you get delightful mochi squares filled with creamy peanut butter. a dream situation, really. they’re the ideal dessert, that is satisfying, yet doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re on a sugar high. this, like every other recipe i’ve made from cynthia’s book, will leave you feeling just plain happy.

xo, friends!

peanut butter mochi cake | gf (with a dairy-free option*)

from: A Common Table, by: Cynthia Chen McTernan

| makes one 8-inch square cake |

  • 6 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups (225 grams) sweet rice flour, like mochiko blue star

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil or other neutral oil

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts

*dairy-free option:

  • replace the 1 cup of whole milk with full-fat coconut milk

method

  1. preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. in a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. set aside.

  2. in a medium bowl, combine the the sweet rice flour, milk, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. you don’t need to worry about overworking the batter and making the cake dense, because sweet rice flour doesn’t contain gluten - mochi cake is dense to begin with! small lumps will appear in the batter at first, but they will dissipate as you whisk.

  3. pour half the batter into the prepared baking dish. drop small spoonfuls of the peanut butter filling evenly across the batter, then pour the remaining batter over the peanut butter filling. bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

  4. while the mochi is baking, place the peanuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until crumbly. remove the mochi from the oven, and sprinkle the crushed peanuts across the top, then return the cake to the oven and bake until the center bounces back when pressed, an additional 15-20 minutes. enjoy warm or at room temperature. the mochi will slice much more cleanly when cooled, but there’s nothing like enjoying a piece warm from the oven.

similar recipes:

peanut butter & cacao nib cereal bars

peanut butter & cacao nib cereal bars

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

3-INGREDIENT TOASTED S'MORES BARK /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

frank loves s’mores. like, lives for them. he recently came home from a little stop at whole foods with their seasonal s’mores holiday bark. while most times he’s disappointed by s’mores chocolate bars/barks/ice creams/ice cream sandwiches, this whole foods version was pretty spot on (it was so overly sweet to me, but i usually find things too sweet). he was so psyched about this bark, but had one gripe: the ratio of graham crackers, to marshmallows, to chocolate was off. frank’s never one to criticize food for the most part. he eats what i make, has constructive comments when i ask for advice, and is just generally the most easy going person when it comes to all things food.

so i love when he loves certain food. and he loves s’mores so much that i wanted to give him his perfect ratio - his dream s’mores bark! the first couple of version were off. we both agreed it was too sweet. so i tried a higher percentage of cacao and that seemed to do the trick. then came the ratio. while i’m not quite the s’mores lover frank is, i do think that anything claiming to be “s’mores” generally has way too much chocolate, and not nearly enough graham crackers or marshmallows. so, i upped the 1/2 cup of marshmallows and graham crackers to 3/4 cup, plus an additional 1/4 cup graham crackers for topping.

and while i was making these, i got pretty opinionated about the marshmallows. you rarely get anything “s’mores” with actual toasted marshmallows, but isn’t that the whole point? that toasty flavor gives them that subtle smokiness which is so notorious with a proper campfire s’more. so here we have it, toasted s’mores with the perfect ratio. it’s not so much a recipe, more of guide of how to make the best dang s’more bark there is (in frank’s humble opinion).

wishing you all the loveliest holiday filled with laughter, and hugs, and love, and wonderful memories! xo!

3-ingredient toasted s’mores bark | gf

| makes one 13x9” tray |

  • 3/4 dandies brand mini marshmallows

  • 12 ounces dark chocolate (preferably 70% cacao)

  • 3/4 cup plus 1/4 cup crushed gluten free graham crackers (i use smoreables)

method

  1. heat your oven to a high broil. line a 13x9-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper (i like to coat the pan with some oil and then place the parchment on top just to prevent it from slipping when you spread the melted chocolate bark).

  2. line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the marshmallows out evenly so that none are touching. once the oven is hot, carefully slide the pan in. broil marshmallows about 1 minute, rotating the pan halfway through to toast evenly. remove from the oven and let cool completely.

  3. while the marshmallows are cooling, melt the chocolate. in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring every so often. after it’s completely melted, remove from heat and let cool completely.

  4. dump the marshmallows into the cooled melted chocolate, reserving a few for topping. dump the graham crackers in as well, and mix until thoroughly combined.

  5. pour the chocolate bark mix into the jellyroll pan and use and offset spatula to evenly spread it into the corners and sides of the pan. top with remaining marshmallows, and graham crackers.

  6. freeze for 30-40 minutes, until completely solid. use your hands or a sharp knife to break up the bark into jagged pieces.

  7. store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

more holiday recipes:

holiday chocolate bark, 3 ways

holiday chocolate bark, 3 ways

chocolate tahini cake w/ tahini frosting

chocolate tahini cake w/ tahini frosting

frozen s’mores sandwiches

frozen s’mores sandwiches