Blueberry-Almond Coffee Cake Recipe

This coffee cake is a sure way of perking up your morning. 

Soft and moist. With a nutty almond flavor and bursting with sweet, fresh blueberries.

Who wouldn't love to wake up to a slice of this irresistible cake, next to a hot and steamy cappuccino?
I could really eat a slice of this blueberry and almond coffee cake. Every. Single. Morning.
I absolutely love almonds and almond flavored desserts. And when you combine it with sweet and juicy blueberries, you will end up with a deliciously soft, mouth-watering dessert.
Just the thought of this coffee cake in the morning would make jump right out of bed and run for the espresso machine! No more laying lazily under my blankie!
Maybe eating this everyday would not be good for my waistline. But once in a while, why not? Check out the ingredients, it's made from scratch with simple and wholesome ingredients.

You will be surprise by how easy and quick it is to make. Just plan ahead, and remember to remove the butter and the eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before starting with the recipe.
Room temperature ingredients are easier to mix into the batter, so you'll end up with a more uniform, tender, light and airy texture.

Here is the video for you:

Ingredients: to make a 9x9 in (22x22 cm) cake, cut in about 16 pieces   PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 gr) of sugar
• 4 oz (1 stick, 115 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1.5 cup (225 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 cups (300 gr) of fresh (organic) blueberries
• 1 cup (120 gr) of sliced almond, divided

Preparation time: about one hour and a half
Directions:
1. Let the eggs and butter sit outside the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). In a large bowl, add two eggs and the cup of sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

3. Add the butter cut in pieces and mix again, until mostly smooth.

4. Mix in the vanilla and the almond extracts.

5. Add the flour, the salt and the baking powder. Blend some more.

6. Fold the blueberries and about 2/3 cup of the almonds. The remaining almonds will be sprinkled on top.

7. Spray or grease a 9x9 inches baking pan with butter and flour. Pour the batter in the pan and flatten it out with the back of a spoon.  Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of the cake.

8. Bake for about 45-50 minutes at  350° F (175° C) until slightly golden on top. Test with a toothpick for readiness. The toothpick should come out clean ... unless of course you poke a blueberry :)
Let the cake cool down for a few minutes before cutting in squares.

Enjoy :)

Sinfully Delicious Egg and Pancetta on Toasted and Bread Cups

These cute bread cups have it all: perfectly baked egg, crispy-at-the-edges pancetta, and melted cheesy center. 
All over a golden toasted bread cup.
Brunch can't get any better than this!

What's not to love about this dish?! It has bacon. It has perfectly baked, runny eggs. It's served over a toasted slice of cheesy bread. It's quick and super easy to make in a few simple steps. And check it out: only four main ingredients ... no oil not butter!
With this recipe, you can make your Sunday brunch extra special, served next to a healthy green salad. But eggs is one of those things that you can really eat at any time of the day: for a hearty breakfast, a quick lunch or a fun family dinner.  Also, with these cute and elegant bread cups, you can for sure wow your guests at your next party!
And hey! Mother's Day is right around the corner. You have a week to show this recipe and convince your kids (and your husband) to bake these for you. So you can treat yourself with a lavish brunch ... maybe served in bed :-)
And don't forget, the apple roses would also look really good on that breakfast tray ;-)

Here are a few suggestions for you. Make sure you have large enough slices of bread, so that the bread can hold the filling inside. And it's better if the slices are cut thin, so there is more space inside. Also I suggest using small or medium eggs. A large egg might over-spill, when you use a regular sized muffin cup.

Buon appetito!

Ingredients: to make 6 cups (serving 2 or 3)              Printable Recipe

• 6 slices of bread
• about 3 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella
• 6 cage-free, organic small or medium eggs
• 6 slices of pancetta, or thin cut bacon
• salt and pepper

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Remove the crust from the bread slices.

2. Flatten the bread slices with a rolling pin.

 3. Place each slice in each muffin cup, pressing it down with your fingers. Don't worry if the bread breaks on the bottom, it will be fine. I used a silicone mold, so no greasing is required. If you are not, make sure to spray or grease with a little bit of butter the bottom and sides of the cup.

4. Sprinkle the bottom of each bread cup with about half tablespoon of shredded mozzarella.

5. Wrap a slice of pancetta around the edge.

6. Add the egg, trying not to break the yolk. It might overflow if the egg is too big... don't worry!  Medium or small eggs work better in this recipe.

7. Sprinkle with salt, and pepper. Remember the pancetta or bacon tends to be salty so don't use too much salt. Bake for about 20 minutes for a runny egg, 25 minutes for a fully cooked egg.

 Serve immediately and eat as fast as you can. Buon appetito!

Butter-Free, Easy and Delicious Blueberry Muffins

Homemade, butter-free muffins

Soft, moist and filled with sweet blueberries 

One of the great things about living in California is that you find fresh berries at the farmers' market pretty much all year long. Yesterday I bought these delicious organic blueberries and couldn't wait to come home to bake some muffins. These are super easy to prepare, and so delicious. To make them healthier, I didn't use butter in this recipe but vegetable oil. The results are as great!
Blueberry muffins are one of my favorite. The berries add a fruity and sweet flavor in every bite. Blueberries are not only delicious but, as I'm sure you are aware of, are a great source of antioxidants. But did you also know that studies suggest that blueberries are  beneficial for our brain, by improving our memory, and slowing down memory loss that normally comes with aging? I have been feeling so forgetful lately. It could be that I have way too many things in my daily schedule. Or yes, it could also be that I'm getting older. Either way, I better start improving my cognitive functions now, and have all of these muffins for myself ;-)


Ingredients: to make 20 regular muffins, or 18 extra large

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (200 gr) of sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cups of milk (375 ml) (I used whole milk)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) of vegetable oil
• 8 oz (225 gr) of fresh (organic) blueberries 
• 4 cups (600 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1 (15 gr) tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon of salt
• about 2 tablespoons of coarse raw sugar for decorating

Preparation time:
Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F (200º C). In a bowl, whisk the eggs together with the sugar until fluffy. Add the milk, vanilla extract and the oil and mix until combined. 

2. Add the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix until combined. Do not over-mix or your muffins will not turn out as soft.

                                        

                                        

3. Fold in the blueberries using a spoon.

4. Line 18-20 muffin tins with paper liners. Spoon the batter evenly into the cups (should fill almost to the top). Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

5. Bake at  400º F (200º C) degrees for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375º F (190º C), and bake for another 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden. Test with a toothpick for readiness.

Enjoy!

Homemade Braided Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

Make your breakfast sweet and soft with this braided cinnamon and raisin bread. 

A great way to start your day!

Start your day off right with these sweet and delicious cinnamon raisin braids.  Breakfast after all is the most important meal of the day, so let's make it special.
With a busy day coming up and after many hours of not eating, our body needs a nutritious breakfast to jump-start our metabolism and get us moving. Also, the way you start your morning can affect the rest of your day. So here is what you should do: sit back, relax (even if it's only for 5 minutes) and enjoy one of these pillowy-soft, sweet treats, next to a hot and steamy cappuccino. You will thank me later :-)
There are many variables that influences the way bread dough rises, like the temperature of the room or the temperature of the ingredients, the amount of time spent on kneading, or, obviously the order in which you mix the ingredients. So, making bread can be quite tricky, especially when the bread is not plain and many ingredients are added. I experimented with many recipes, and finally found a foolproof way for the dough to rise and make a perfectly soft sweet bread. In this recipe you first only mix and knead together the flour, yeast and milk. Let rest and rise for a couple of hours. Then mix the rest of the ingredients, knead again, and let rise for 2 more hours. It takes a little more work, but it's worth it!
I baked these cinnamon and raisin braids using my new extra-large silicone baking mat from Kitchen Executive Chef. These mats are great: no greasing, no sticking and are very easy to clean. And in this large, 17x14 inches format, I can fit lots of bread rolls or cookies at once.
So, here is something special for you today. You can enter below for a chance to win a set of this silicone baking mats. You can choose from two convenient, large sizes. Many thanks to Kitchen Executive Chef. Good luck!

This giveaway ends at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, February 10. Get your entries now. Bookmark this page and come back for extra entries. It is open to US residents, 18+ only.
You can also buy these mats on Amazon.com. And special for you today, use code 3UV37XAR at check out to receive a 30% off your purchase. Here is the link:


Ingredients: serving 8

• 2 cups (300 gr) of bread flour, plus a few tablespoons for the counter
• 1 tablespoon (12 gr) of dry yeast
• 1 cup (250 ml) of milk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (half stick - 55 gr)of unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon (4 gr) of salt
• 1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar, plus around 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top of the bread
• 1/4 cup (40 gr) raisins
• ground cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Preparation time: One hour, plus 4 hours inactive
Directions:
1. Warm up the milk slightly in the microwave, especially if it's cold out of the refrigerator. Set the microwave for about 20 seconds. Dissolve the yeast in the milk, whisking well.

2. In a large bowl, add the flour and the milk with the yeast. Mix well using a spoon at first, and then your finger next. When the dough comes together, move it to a clean counter and knead until the dough is soft and elastic. Add a tablespoon of milk if the dough is too hard to knead, or a bit of flour if too sticky.

3. Shape into a ball, and place it back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place in the oven (turned off) for at least two hours.

4. Melt the butter in the microwave. Set the timer for only 15 seconds, stir, and then another 15 seconds. Let the butter cool down. Add the melted butter, the egg, salt, and sugar to the dough. Mix with a spoon (or your finger if it helps). It will take a bit of work, but the dough will go back to be smooth and uniform. Softer than before. Cover again, and let it rise for another couple of hours.

5. Add the raisins to the dough. Make sure you sprinkle some at the time around the dough, so that they don't end up all in the same spot.

6. On a floured counter, cut the dough in 8 equal parts. Roll each into a thick rectangle. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar and ground cinnamon. Cut the rectangle lengthwise in half, but not all the way to the end. As shown in the picture, twist the two ropes twice. Pinch the end to seal. Place on a baking sheet covered with a baking silicone mat (or parchment paper). Repeat with all pieces.

7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the sweet bread for 16-18 minutes, until rich golden on top.

 Enjoy!