A pie with apples and powdered sugar on a plate.

Apple Galette

10/05/2023

Apple picking is a quintessential fall activity in New York’s Hudson Valley. The region boasts numerous orchards, and while I’ve explored many over the years, my personal favorite is Wilklow Orchards in Highland, just outside New Paltz. Wilklow offers a wide variety of apples, picturesque hilly terrain, is dog-friendly (see…

A chocolate cake decorated with a swirl pattern.

Chocolate Cherry Torte

09/28/2023

Throughout The Friday Baking Project, we’ve explored a variety of cakes where chocolate takes the spotlight as the primary flavor. These include French-style chocolate cakes, such as the Reine de Saba and cakes with chocolate fillings such as last week’s Chocolate Mousse Cake or the decadently rich Chocolate Truffe Cake.…

A chocolate cake is sitting on a white plate.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

09/19/2023

This may very well be the ultimate chocolate mousse cake. A luscious Chocolate Charlotte Mousse is layered between three Chocolate Chiffon Cake layers topped with a Midnight Glaze and enveloped in chocolate shavings. The mousse, although rich, is not overly so, and the chiffon cake complements it perfectly. The Midnight…

Marble Pound Cake

09/14/2023

As I hunkered down in the first months of the pandemic, I yearned for comfort foods. In the dessert category, this meant pound cakes. I have always had a thing for a slice (or two) of a good pound cake with tea in the afternoon. And they’re not bad for…

Honey Cardamom Pound Cake

09/06/2023

Honey holds a significant place as one of the main food symbols of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, signifying the hope for a sweet new year. This is why honey cake is a traditional dessert during the holiday season. Yet, the honey cake that many of us remember from our childhood…

Blueberry Crumb Cake

08/30/2023

The memory remains vivid: it was a beautiful summer day, and we all sat outside, relishing the food and each other’s company. The cake was a resounding success, yet somehow, the recipe ended up tucked away in a file and forgotten over time. Two summers ago, while searching through my…

A piece of cake on top of a white plate.

Meringue Bombe

08/09/2023

Working at the Harborside Inn in Edgartown my first summer on Martha’s Vineyard I had heard about a unique restaurant in Menemsha on the other side of the island. The Beach Plum Inn had two seatings, a view of the sunset, and offered a rotating menu of four entrees each…

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins

08/01/2023

Banana Walnut Muffins were a popular choice among the rotating morning muffin offerings at Seven Layers. During our second summer, we decided to experiment by adding chocolate chips to the batter and that’s how these delicious Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip muffins were born. They were an instant hit! With good…