Lemon Drizzle Poundcake

What does one do when they are in excess of lemons? Bake a lemon inspired cake of course! And since loaf cakes are the easiest cakes to bake (prep and baking took less than an hour), I settled for a Lemon Drizzle Poundcake.

If you've been reading my blog from the beginning, you may already know that poundcakes are my favourite! So if you haven't already, check out some of my past recipes: Banana Poundcake, Orange Poundcake, or even this delicious Pumpkin Spice Loaf.

So, if you are in the mood for a moist, lemony, not too dense cake with a tangy/sweet icing, this is the recipe for you.

Portuguese Custard Tarts

 I have an intense fondness for vanilla custard.

Sidebar: When I was a toddler, my giagia would make us κρέμα Βανίλια from the ΓΙΩΤΗΣ sachets. We would crowd around her, impatiently waiting for her to spoon it into our small bowls. Then, we would slowly skim and eat the skin that would form on the top, before devouring the rest of it. I use to think that NOTHING could beat the taste of that ΓΙΩΤΗΣ vanilla custard, but alas I have been mistaken.

So when I went to Faro, Portugal the other week, the first thing I did was go to a bakery and sample Portuguese Custard Tarts, or, Pastéis de Nata. They were absolutely amazing! In fact, I ate one every morning. If you are anything like me and you visit Portugal, you must go to a bakery and have a pastry and um galão or a uma meia de leite.

Inspired by the flavours of Portugal, and forever craving those custard tarts, I made my own as soon as I got back home. 

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (Soft & Chewy)

Was in the mood for a perfectly soft and chewy cookie. And since I couldn’t find anything in the shops that tickled my fancy, I decided to bake my own. Went for an oatmeal cookie this time because I wanted it to be slightly healthy…just kidding!! I just love oatmeal cookies! Obviously all that sugar negates any kind of healthiness. And honestly, if I’m going to bake cookies, and eat them, might as well be the real thing!

Also, if you’re wondering why my setup is different yet again, it’s because I’ve moved back to Durham. So plenty of recipes and pretty photos heading your way!

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fairly straightforward recipe today. A delicious and very moist pumpkin cake. And since everything tastes better with a little bit of frosting—this cake has lots of it. Enjoy.

Apple Upside-Down Cake

A year ago, I went on a long riverside stroll (for those unfamiliar with Durham city, I’m referring to the River Wear); it wasn’t meant to be anything more than a chance for me to take a break from writing my thesis and enjoy the wonderful fall weather, and yet, I found myself incredibly inspired by my surroundings. That day, on the way home, I stopped by the market and bought a butternut squash and a bag of apples. I was determined to bake an apple crumble, and a pumpkin pie, and maybe even some ginger snaps. And I did. And I documented it all on the first few entries of this blog.

Since then, this blog has evolved in ways that I never thought it would: I bought more baking tools, I learned how to take better pictures, I extended the mission of the blog to include traditional Greek recipes, I gained thousands of followers on Instagram…

I won’t go on about this anymore than I have already, but that fact remains that, although I began to bake as a way to de-stress from the demands of the PhD, I now bake because I really do enjoy the art of baking. I hope this blog continues to develop and I hope a year from now, I’ll be able to look back again, and be satisfied with how far it has come.

On that note, today’s recipe features the apple upside-down cake, which in my eyes is far superior than the classic apple pie. I hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Loaf

I started my blog last year of this month. Can you believe it?! It has been 1 WHOLE YEAR!!! And yet, so much has changed in my life—I moved back to NY from Durham (after living there for 5 years), I finished my PhD, I made many new friends and lost some old friends…but I digress.

I thought it would be fitting to begin this new chapter of my life/and the blog’s second year, with a spin on my very first entry. So, for today’s recipe, as a play on last year’s Pumpkin Pie, I have made a Pumpkin Spice Loaf.   

Hope you enjoy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you have been following my blog for long enough, you might remember these fantastic Halloween Red Velvet Cupcakes. 

I decided to remake them, with two very different toppings. For the first batch, I used the classic cream cheese frosting; for the second, I used a slightly creamier/lighter frosting with a double cream base (instead of butter). Both turned out really delicious, so I think it really depends on personal preference. I've always loved the decadence of the red velvet cupcake- I will always reach for the classic cream cheese frosting. With that said, most of my friends enjoyed the creamier version.  

Enough rambling...onwards