December 2, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

olive oil mini bundts w/citrus glaze | dolly and oatmeal

is it me or does it kinda feel like it's still october? i'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that thanksgiving has come and gone, hanukkah is right around the corner, and christmas is only weeks away, oy! it's been super warm for a new york fall, so perhaps that has something to do with it not exactly feeling like the holiday season yet. do i dare say that i'm hoping for cooler weather? that i'm excited about wearing a heavy winter coat and cozying up to my man under a pile of thick blankets? i know come february i will be cursing this wish, but a girl can dream for now .

our thanksgiving was quiet in all the right places. of course we missed our family that we weren't able to see, but me, frank, and my in-laws sat around this lovely table and shared a number of yummy meals and tons of conversation . frank's parents are still living in the house that he grew up in so we get to stay in his old room. and although there have been a few changes since he's moved out, there's still an old tube tv, a vhs, and a home entertainment structure he built in his teens. as i was eyeing through some of his old soccer trophies and books, i happened to see the star wars trilogy of our youth - we're talking 4,5, and 6 here, folks (which we haven't seen in far too long because our blu-ray of them disappeared during our move!). we watched them excitedly each night before we passed out, which felt super sentimental especially when i felt that nostalgic static on my fingertips when i brushed the tv screen and rewound (!!!) a video! it was such a lovely visit, truly a home away from home :) hope you all had a good one as well!

as we're all gearing up for the holidays i'm sharing this recipe for these really simple and fun little bundt cakes over on the urban outfitters blog! don't even get me started about how excited i am to have a recipe over there! when i was in middle school and all i wanted was to be a grungy pre-teen, my parents (usually my trooper mom) would take me down to the broadway location of UO in nyc just so i could spend my allowance on waffle henleys, flannels, and painter jeans - but that's another story! in any event, these cakes were developed with the idea in mind of throwing something together that's super festive, easy on the prep, and a crowd pleaser for any and all guests. and just in case you're in the mood, or have the need for something more savory, i have my go-to massaged kale, asian pear,and quinoa salad w/ crunchy granola bits + a super creamy shallot dressing over on food52 (video here and recipe here)!

wishing you all good things for a wonderful start to the holiday season! xo

similar holiday recipes:

holiday bundt cake w/ crushed cranberries

holiday butternut bundt cake w/ crushed cranberries + apples / December 12, 2014 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

holiday butternut bundt cake | dolly and oatmeal

we woke up to our first snowfall the other morning, albeit a dusting; our plump christmas tree is up, decorated with ornaments we've collected throughout the years; lit with strands of twinkling lights, its base hidden under a burlap tree skirt i made years ago (a craft projects gone right!). our winter vista is now official, as the trees across the way have lost the last of their leaves, and we can squeak out a view of the top quarter of the empire state building once more. the holidays are officially here, and even though it's felt like a merry season for the past few weeks, it's now in close sight.

sometimes it feels like i don't know where to start with holiday dessert though, do i go with cake, make sheets and sheets of cookies, chocolate bars, peppermint bark..? (i know, really tough decisions here.) this year i decided to settle on a simple bundt cake - one that incorporates a number of things i love about the idea of a typical fruitcake, but without the heavy glug of it. in that spirit, i decided to go with a tried and true cake my nana would always make: her 1,2,3,4 bundt cake. it was her no-fail, all-occasion cake that could be made plain or jazzed up with fruit, nuts, zest, etc. so, when i thought of the holidays, of love, of memories, of baking, i knew an updated version of my nana's cake in the form of a butternut bundt was in order. it's flecked with crushed cranberries to cut through the sweetness, the batter mixed with grated ginger, chopped apples and toasted nuts for a subtle crunch, and topped with some powdered sugar for good (holiday) measure.

if you missed last week's post, i'm guest blogging for Gardenista this month! you can peep this holiday bundt cake recipe over on their site today! and stay tuned, i've got two more posts coming up this month and i'm super pumped about them!

i hope the holiday season is bringing you joy, love, and warmth. xo

(gluten + dairy free) chocolate olive oil bundt w/ salted maple almonds / March 18, 2014 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the other day i was reading an article about the history of agriculture and food in america. i had one of those "how come i never thought about this, it's so frickin' obvious" moments. the author basically broke down the last 100 years of american eating in about 3 short paragraphs. early 1900s: hardly any grocery stores (only local "mom & pop" general stores) or restaurants and no fast-food. mid-1900s: advertisers were increasingly abundant, encouraging people to buy store-bought items, ready-mix baked goods and dinners, instant coffee, and those boxed, microwavable TV dinners. in the 80s and 90s there was a focus on workout videos (hello Jane Fonda, scrunchie socks and sweatbands!), Jenny Craig, protein bars and diet shakes. as the author so vividly pointed out: more convenience = less wholesome food and the more we relied on convenience and giving other people responsibility to manage food for us, the less knowledge and concern we had over our own nutrition. i guess this struck me because as i've gotten older i have seen and felt the direct correlation between the food i put in my mouth and feeling good - making conscious decisions and taking responsibility for what will give my body energy, provide nutrients and put me in a good mood.

i know, chocolate cake after i went on a rant about nutrition? hey, part of this whole nutrition thing is balance, and there's no balance in life if chocolate isn't involved, am i right? me and chocolate cake have long history; on every single one of my birthdays my mom would make a chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting with chocolate m&m's! but then there was the baker's cafe - a small restaurant known as somewhat of a hippie establishment because they had items on the menu that included: sprouts, whole wheat bread, pita bread, hummus, and hemp seeds - so hippie you guys ;) in any event, their takeout/bakery counter had all sorts of cakes and cookies, but me and my dad's favorite was the baker's chocolate cake. it was a deep, dark, lusciously moist bundt cake with a super thick chocolate ganache and we would get a piece each time we went. so you can imagine my great joy when i popped this lovely cake out of her pan and cut her open to find that she was just as dark and luscious as the baker's cake - only free of gluten and dairy! so here's to chocolate cake and making conscious decisions about the food that we eat.

and while we're on the topic of cake...

anya's Parsnip Cake with Candied Kumquats is a.) super clever. and b.) gorgeous! definitely putting it on the to-make list for next year

i will never be able to get enough of nuts on cake, especially when there are hazelnuts and chocolate involved - laura wins the cake game with this one!

julia's photography is super pretty but this gluten free coconut cake, totally takes the cake! (harhar)

and i think we can all agree, cynthia's miniaturization of cake and pie is pretty impressive!

then there were cake truffles by the always inventive molly!

lastly, i never knew how intricate you could get with decorating mini cakes. here, sarah comes through with some serious jedi cake decoration knowledge

chocolate olive oil bundt w/ salted maple almonds (gluten + dairy free)

ingredients

1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/3 cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder) + more for coating pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 free-range eggs
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup hot water
coconut oil for greasing

chocolate ganache

2 ounces dairy free chocolate
1.5 ounces full-fat coconut milk
tiny pinch of salt

salted maple almonds - recipe here

1/4 cup, roughly chopped

instructions

preheat oven to 350° and grease an 8 or 9-inch bundt pan with coconut oil, place a couple teaspoons of cacao powder in the pan. gently shake the pan to disperse the powder evenly; tip and bump to clear excess powder, set aside
in a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients with a whisk; set aside - break up any clumps with your fingers
in another large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until thoroughly combined - about 1 minute. add the vanilla and oil; add the hot water while whisking
add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until combined. carefully pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan; transfer to oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating halfway through and until a baking tester comes out clean
transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. invert onto a serving platter or large plate

make the ganache

in a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk until boiling, remove from heat and add the chocolate; let it rest for about 5 minutes, add the salt and stir to combine
drizzle chocolate evenly over the top of the cake, then top with salted maple almonds
best eaten the day of, but you can cover the cake with parchment and store at room temperature for about 3 days

enjoy!