Category: Cakes

No. 501Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ada Boni’s Chocolate Cupcakes

Ada Boni’s Chocolate Cupcakes | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Happy Sunday! I bring you an incredible chocolate cake recipe that hits all the marks in today’s food scene: no dairy, no butter, a perfectly vegan cake; oh did I mention the recipe is from Italy in 1929? Amazing cooks, making something from nothing in hardship days-Ada Boni’s Talisman Cake, a true little jewel.

ITALIAN REGIONAL COOKING

This cake popped up on my IG feed a while back-it looked like a mistake, another flawed recipe from the internet. After research I found out that this cake, Ada Boni’s Talisman Cake, is from a 1929 cookbook that was touted at the time as a book to give new brides as a wedding gift. This peaked my interest and down the rabbit whole I went to understand the history of this recipe. Not to my knowledge, I had a copy of Italian Regional Cookbook I picked up for couple bucks at a local thrift shop, also by Ada Boni!. My cookbook collection is out of control.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Back to the cupcakes (cake) recipe. This cake recipe does read like mistake. I was skeptical, but after multiple bakings, each time  comes out fantastic, whether made as a cake or cupcakes. So, dense, so much chocolate, hard to believe recipe. The best thing is the simplicity. Dry ingredients in a bowl, add the wet and orange rind and bake, that’s all, really.

Ada Boni’s Chocolate Cupcakes | Bijouxs Little Jewels

A couple of things, do not over bake or add more than called for orange zest or cinnamon, I went a little overboard one time, not good.I frosted the cupcakes with a rich coconut milk vanilla-bean labne (thick yogurt) whip. I love the tang and it keeps things dairy-free.  Frost with your favorite vanilla frosting, or go crazy and do chocolate, you can’t lose either way.

Ada Boni’s Chocolate Cupcakes | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Ada Boni’s Chocolate Cupcakes | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

HISTORIAL RECIPES

I can’t say enough how much cooking knowledge I have gained from reading from cook’s of the past from all over the world. My cookbook collection is a treasure. Food is universal, something that connects us all.

In creating Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen over 10 years ago, my was goal to bring you the” little jewels” a curated collection of recipes from different time periods and cultures. Now with 500 recipes on the website to search, you will find an abundant collection of eclectic recipes, something for everyone and every meal.

Stay tuned for a new chapter and format for the next ten years. Thank you for being a part of Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

No. 491Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Victoria Tray Cake

Victoria Tray Cake | Bijouxs Little Jewels

While going through my cookbook collection I remembered a recipe for a “sheet” cake by Nigel Slater that I had wanted to try. Off work for a day I made Nigel’s Victoria Cake, with of course some minor revisions. A simple, straightforward cake easy to prepare–Victoria Tray Cake, a little jewel from the kitchen.

COOK VS CHEF

The past 10 years of my blog, Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen, I have honed my skills in food photography and cookbook design, working solo to create a brand of food style and books I am proud to call my own. I am not a chef, however I am a skilled, experienced cook, specializing in home cooking as a private chef for clients and my own family. I adore Nigel Slater’s Cookbooks and his writing.  So honest and talented he has influenced many recipe ideas into my work as a private chef, and also cooking in my home for family and friends. 

CLASSIC CAKE

The Victoria Tray Cake comes from this book, which I highly recommend. This is the kind of cookbook you pick up from time to time and read more from his seasonal kitchen diary, loaded with recipes.  What a marvelous idea to begin a kitchen journal. I have my little jewel collection file with hundreds of my favorite recipes, many of which I have shared with you on the blog. At this time, 490 recipes are all free on my website so grab them while you can.

I love simple baking as my skills lean towards cooking, which for me is a much more flexible kitchen experience. This cake therefore is very simple. A sheet cake that is prepared with on hand pantry ingredients and utilizes frozen fruit, perfect. Great for snacking, packing for lunches or alongside a cup of afternoon tea.

Victoria Tray Cake-another little jewel from the Bijouxs Kitchen.

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Claudia Roden’s Orange & Almond Cake

Orange & Almond Cake | Bijoux Little Jewels

An old world cake for the Passover and Easter holidays—Orange & Almond Cake is a delightful and simple cake. Discovering a vintage recipe cookbook is always a little jewel. Somewhere in my web-wanderings I discovered a middle eastern cake comprised of nothing more than whole oranges, ground almonds, eggs and some sugar, this cake intrigued me. Continue reading Claudia Roden’s Orange & Almond Cake

No. 450Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Coffee-Cream Crunch Tiramisu

Coffee-Cream Crunch Tiramisu | Bijouxs Little Jewels

From my curated Bijouxs Little Jewels recipe collection comes this Coffee-Cream Crunch Tiramisu. I have had the recipe in my file since I found it (1980’s? 1990’s?) A wonderful ‘cake’ constructed with ladyfingers, coffee buttercream and lavishly coated with toasted hazelnuts, a little jewel from the Collection.

BIJOUXS RECIPE COLLECTION

Yes, there really is a Bijouxs Recipe Collection. Housed in a file box and binders containing recipes collected since I was 16 years old. Wow. I am so happy that I began the collection long ago. Nothing digital in those days, I resorted to ‘tear sheets’ from magazines, all filed by recipe category. Going through the file, each recipe takes me back to the time I collected it. Many recipes I have made, but there are hundreds I still hope to try. Most were collected from the top food and design magazines of the days, such as House & Garden, Saveur, Gourmet, W Magazine and other publications. My work as a designer led me to create Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen, photographing and sharing beautiful recipes for the home cook.

COFFEE-CREAM CRUNCH TIRAMISU

The history of this recipe goes way back, so far I don’t recall the exact date, but I can visualize the photos and recipes. I found the recipe clipped and pasted on a card in the file, thank goodness I did. This has been a go-to quick dessert. You can find ladyfingers at most supermarkets, which make this a cinch. The recipe is close to tiramisu, but not really. The ladyfingers are dipped in sweetened coffee, but the mascarpone cream is swapped out for a rich coffee buttercream. The toasted hazelnuts really add the texture. A friend suggested the nuts be chopped a little finer, that is your call. The original recipe was coated with rough chop hazelnuts, like my version pictured. Simple purchased ingredients, no baking, and make-ahead option make this a favorite dessert, right behind this cake. 

Coffee-Cream Crunch Tiramisu | Bijouxs Little Jewels

450 RECIPES

Hard to believe but this recipe marks number 450! Crazy how fast the time has gone. I am very proud of keeping Bijouxs real. Real food prepared and photographed without all the styling. Keeping it real for over 10 years. I know there are now SOOOO many food blogs and recipes online. Thank you to those who have stayed with me and purchased my cookbooks. I hope that the recipes bring joy and beauty to the home cook. 

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