Oat Cake with Blueberries and Blackberries

Just two days ago, I graduated high school. My classmates and I wore white dresses and held bouquets, walked down an aisle to an outdoor stage (sounds like a wedding, doesn't it?), and waited anxiously to receive our diplomas. During stressful moments and late-night study sessions, I vividly imagined this day in my mind, maybe even counted down to it. Now that toasts have been made and achievements celebrated, it hasn't sunk in yet that I will not return as a student to the place where I spent the past six years of my life.

Picking blackberries from my backyard garden.

Change is a funny sensation, because transitioning from one chapter of your life to the next never feels the way you imagined it would. I thought it would be easy to say goodbye and look forward to entering college, but this past month has been incredibly bittersweet. 

How do I thank my amazing teachers and advisors, my peers, and my family members for all they've done to help me grow? How do I prepare for a completely new environment filled with thousands of unfamiliar faces, historic buildings, and dorm life? Well, for right now, I'm focused on savoring the moment. I want to let my experiences come naturally rather than always look ahead or to the past. I plan to spend this summer doing what I am passionate about; no strings attached. 

Obviously baking ranks high on my list of passions. Which leads me to this cake. A cinnamon-scented oat cake filled with ripe, seasonal berries. The top is crunchy from a sprinkling of turbinado sugar, but has a soft, tender crumb on the inside. I love the cake's rustic simplicity, because during this time of year it's all about allowing the produce to shine. 

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Living, July 2013

Ingredients 
4 tblsp unsalted butter, softened 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan 
1 cup plus 3 tblsp quick-cooking oats, divided 
2/3 cup water 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp baking powder 
3/4 tsp coarse salt 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
1/2 cup granulated sugar 
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 
1 large egg 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
2 cups mixed ripe blueberries and blackberries 
3 tblsp coarse sanding sugar (turbinado sugar) 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour an 8-inch square metal baking pan, tapping out excess flour. Combine 1 cup oats and water and let stand until oats have softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and beat in egg and vanilla until just combined, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary. Add flour and oat mixtures and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Gently fold in about half of the berries.

3. Spread batter in pan and sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons oats and sanding sugar. Scatter remaining berries evenly over top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes before serving. It's best served on the day of.

Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo

Top: The Paris-NY is Dominique's twist on a Paris-Brest, a traditional French pastry made with choux dough and filled with pastry cream. This variation pays tribute to an American candy bar with its peanut butter, caramel, and chocolate flavors. Below: Cloud-like lemon madeleine cookies that are baked-to-order.

Has a bakery ever blown you away? Have you ever tasted a dessert so masterfully executed, so perfectly delicious, that you intensely admire its creator? In my book, only an handful of pastry shops have achieved this level of excellence. Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City was one of these rare experiences. 

I first heard about Dominique Ansel through a fabulous show on Cooking Channel called Unique Sweets. Unique Sweets profiles notable sweet spots throughout the country, featuring mouth-watering video footage and interviews with innovative pastry chefs. When my family and I traveled to NYC over spring break, visiting this bakery was at the top of my to-do list. 

We ordered a variety of items to sample, including pistachio, hazelnut, and chocolate macarons, chocolate chunk and chocolate-pecan cookies, a Paris-NY, 10 mini madeleines, and a cannelé. You cannot go wrong with any of these options, but my personal favorites were the Paris-NY, the chocolate chunk cookie, and the mini madeleines. 

The fact that each batch of madeleines bakes within minutes of arriving to your table shows incredible attention-to-detail and thoughtfulness. These petite French cakes, though seemingly simple, can be made several different ways with subtle textural and flavor nuances. Dominique's are light as air, practically melting on your tongue. The chef's chocolate chunk cookie, another ubiquitous classic, is crunchy on the outside and soft and melty on the inside, with notes of caramel from the brown sugar. 

ABC News - Cronut from ABC News Now on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago, Dominique made waves with his newest invention, a croissant-doughnut hybrid called the cronut. Layers of flaky croissant dough are deep fried, filled with Tahitian vanilla cream, rolled in rose sugar, and finished with a pale pink rose glaze. Dominique tried 10 different recipes before he found the one, and now people line up at 5 a.m. to get their hands on this unique pastry. 

Ansel inspires me with his ability to transform familiar baked goods into amazing works of art. His creativeness with flavor combinations and presentation are unmatched. Though Dominique has received much recognition for his work and is a James Beard Award Finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef, he continues to push the boundaries. When I visited, I was surprised to see him working humbly behind the counter with the other employees. This dedication and passion for his craft makes Dominique Ansel a stand-out in the pastry world.  

Dominique Ansel Bakery 
189 Spring Street
New York, New York 
10012
(212) 219 2773
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Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. 

My Pop-Up Bakery at Kaldi Coffee

Starting my own pop-up bakery business in February has already been such a fruitful and exciting experience. I have learned so many valuable lessons about entrepreneurship and have improved my baking skills by 110%. It's neat for me to take part in every step of the production process, from buying ingredients at the market to baking at home, and eventually seeing people enjoy my baked goods right in front of me. This meticulous, hands-on approach gives each one of my pop-up bakeries a special homemade touch. 

For the past several weekends, I have set up shop at Kaldi Coffee in Atwater Village, a hip and rapidly developing L.A. neighborhood. I load up the trunk of my car with baskets of chocolate chunk and oatmeal-raisin cookies and cake stands for citrus-poppyseed loaf and almond cake. Creating treats to pair with coffee has been an interesting challenge for me. All of my offerings are subtly sweet with ingredients like orange zest, clover honey, and Medjool dates that provide complex, refined notes of flavor. 

To me, an excellent dessert is one you eat slowly and mull over the different components that make it so good. I gain inspiration by going to bakeries, ordering a handful of items along with a glass of water, and spending time analyzing each one in between sips of water to cleanse my palette. For most people, this process is too time-cosuming and tedious, but doing it makes me even more passionate about my own little bakery. I hope that eating my products gives people the happiness and excitement that I feel when creating these baked goods.  

One of the most rewarding aspects of my pop-up bakery at Kaldi is receiving compliments from customers in-person and online. If you would like to connect with Maral's Bakery online, "like" www.facebook.com/MaralsBakery for updates on where I'll be and when, new menu items, and special orders. If you are an L.A. local, visit Kaldi Coffee tomorrow April 28 to meet me and pick up a treat. 

Maral's Bakery at Kaldi Coffee 
3147 Glendale Boulevard 
Los Angeles, CA  
90039
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Most Sundays, 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. 

Visiting Balthazar Bakery in Englewood, NJ

Some people get excited about shopping for vintage records and antique furniture at flea markets. Others love waking up at 6 a.m. for an early morning spin class. What gets me giddy is walking into a great bakery on a cool spring morning, inhaling the smell of freshly baked bread, and going home with a bag of pastries that are still barely warm from the oven.

I traveled to New York City last week to spend time with family, visit museums, and eat at amazing restaurants. Balthazar is one of my favorite bakeries in New York, offering carefully crafted, high-quality baked goods with a rustic Parisian influence. Balthazar's little store in SoHo is always packed with people looking for a good cup of coffee and a quick pastry. While there is something undoubtedly charming about waiting in line at a cramped French bakery in one of NYC's hippest neighborhoods, I visited Balthazar's factory in Englewood, New Jersey (just half an hour outside Manhattan) to escape the hustle-bustle for a bit and observe bakers at work. 

From top: Charlotte aux Fruits with raspberry mouse and homemade ladyfingers, 
Chocolate-Almond Torte, and Lemon-Ricotta Torte. 
The Chocolate-Almond Torte was subtly sweet with a tender, nutty crumb. 

Balthazar is a wonderland for all things sweet. You walk in and you are immediately taken aback by the pastry case packed with beautiful products. Rustic loaves of handmade bread line the back wall, some speckled with oats, seeds, and nuts, some dusted with flour or cornmeal, each a distinct shape. Workers scurry about in the massive kitchen; it is fascinating to see them so engulfed in their different tasks, be it shaping dough or glazing danishes.

My family and I ordered more pastries than we could possibly consume in a single sitting. We laid everything out on our dining room table and sampled small pieces of almost every treat. Good dessert makes people smile, temporarily satisfying their sweet tooth. But only excellent dessert halts conversation as people savor and analyze each bite. That is exactly what happened to me. With every item I tried, I declared it my favorite and urged everyone at the table to experience it with me.

From top: Seasonal Vegetable Quiche and Mango-Passionfruit Tart. 

It is virtually impossible to go wrong with anything on Balthazar's menu, but I have a few favorites that you must try. The Rhubarb and Sour Plum Crisp is filled with sweet, seasonal rhubarb preserves and plums and sprinkled with buttery crumble topping. The Chocolate-Almond Torte is light with a tender, nutty crumb. The Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookie is crisp on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. I have tried chocolate chip cookies from around the world in pursuit of "the one," and Balthazar's version ranks in the top of my list. You can always judge a bakery's character from its take on this classic baked good. 

Balthazar Bakery 
214 South Dean St. 
Englewood, NJ 07631
(201) 503 9717
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Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Almond-Date Breakfast Bars

Are you someone who follows routines? 

In some parts of my life, I have developed a system for doing things and rarely do I deviate from my approach. Take writing newspaper articles for example. I email my sources, record my interviews and take notes for back-up, highlight the most important quotes, and structure my story around these quotes. It's a methodical structure that produces solid results every time. But there are some tasks that I have not gotten used to, such as waking up before school every morning. I stumble out of bed at least 10 minutes after my alarm goes off, throw on my uniform, and sprint down the stairs. No matter how hard I try to maintain a schedule, going to school will always be an unpredictable scramble out the door.

This past week, however, I broke a routine that I have stuck to religiously: breakfast. Weekday breakfasts consist of three options: eggs, bagels, and granola. I craved a change- something tasty and special, but healthy enough that I would feel energized after my first meal of the day. 

Leave it to Deb Perelman to devise the perfect recipe to relieve my breakfast slump. These almond-date bars are nutty from the almonds and oats, and naturally sweetened with honey and chewy, plump dates. Their golden brown edges and slightly crumbly texture are features only attainable in wholesome, homemade treats. If that wasn't enough to convince you, these little gems happen to be 100% vegan. It was only after I enjoyed my first bar that I discovered this fact. 

So, what are you waiting for? It's not so bad to break routines once in a while. 

Recipe courtesy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients 
1 cup chopped dried pitted dates 
1 1/4 cups rolled oats 
3 tblsp barley or whole-wheat flour 
1/3 cup wheat germ*
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
1/4 cup almond butter 
1/4 cup olive oil 
1/4 cup honey 
1/4 tsp freshly grated orange zest 
1/4 tsp almond extract 

Yields 16 2-inch square bars 

*I did not have wheat germ on hand, so I substituted wheat bran instead. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square ban in one direction with parchment paper, allowing the paper to hang off the sides a bit. Do the same in the opposite direction. This parchment "sling" makes it easy to remove the bars from the pan later on. 
2. In a large bowl, stir together the dates, oats, flour, wheat germ/bran, almonds, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the almond butter, olive oil, honey, orange zest, and almond extract until smooth. Pour these wet ingredients over the dry mixture, and stir them together until the dry ingredients are evenly coated. 
3. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, pressing it firmly to the bottom, edges, and corners to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the tops have a bit of color too. They will feel soft when you touch them, but will set up once completely cool. 
4. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Once they're cool, use a serrated knife to cut the bars into squares. If they seem crumbly, chill them in the fridge for an additional 30 minutes, then cut them cold. 

Big Cluster Maple Granola

Granola is my go-to snack; it is something I always have in my pantry and that I munch on by the handfuls. What makes it so delicious to me are the big, clustery chunks. I shamelessly dig through the bag in search of these precious clusters and rejoice upon discovering every oat-y, nutty clump. But after I have extracted all of them, the last thing I want to do is break out a spoon to gather the remaining scraps. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could find a granola recipe composed entirely of clusters? 

My wish came true when I received my copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman. Deb's maple granola is subtly sweet, golden, and oh-so-clustery. I love the freshness and crisp texture of homemade granola, and the tart cherries offset the oats' earthiness perfectly. An egg white is the secret ingredient though, the protein that binds everything together during the baking process. I love the aroma of oats, nuts, and coconut, glazed with maple syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon, permeating my house. Even though I want to dive right into the tray as soon as it comes out of the oven, it is crucial to let the granola cool completely so you can break it up into clusters later on.

Wrapped in a cellophane bag with a pretty ribbon, this wholesome treat becomes a simple and easily transportable homemade gift. It was a hit when I made it for my pop-up bakery at The Summer Opportunities Fair, and I am sure that it will be well-received by whoever you choose to give it to (if it even lasts that long in your kitchen). 

Recipe courtesy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook 

Ingredients 

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 

1 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut 

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ*

2 tblsp olive oil

1/2 tsp coarse salt 

1/2 cup good quality maple syrup (I use Trader Joe's organic brand)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 large egg white 

1 1/2 cups dried cherries or other dried fruit of choice 

*I substituted wheat bran for wheat germ and it worked perfectly. I do not recommend omitting it entirely because small pieces help to bind the granola together. 

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Pour the wheat germ/bran onto a baking sheet and toast it in the oven just until aromatic, about 5-7 minutes. Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour in the olive oil and maple syrup, coating everything evenly. Whisk the egg white in a small bowl until frothy. Stir it into the granola mixture, distributing it throughout. 

2. Spread the granola in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until it is golden brown on top and feels dry to the touch. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once the granola is completely cool, break it up into desired-size clusters. Sprinkle in the dried fruit. 

Baking for the Pasadena Civic Ballet

As many of you know, I have started my own pop-up bakery business for my high school Senior Project. I recently "popped up" at The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse for the opening weekend of Peter Pan presented by the Pasadena Civic Ballet. It was a beautiful show, and the environment around the auditorium was joyful and bustling.

I decided to use a green and purple theme to match the colors of the performance. I loved the way the plush green tablecloth made everything pop. Various shades of green and purple ribbon dressed up basic cellophane bags and differentiated products from one another. My mom's flower arrangements really completed the look of my table; I love the freshness and ease that they add to the spread.

These chocolate friands with mirrored chocolate glaze are a French take on a traditional American cupcake. Rich and decadent, they resemble flourless chocolate cake in flavor and texture. They looked absolutely adorable in mini liners, perfect for popping into your mouth during a few minutes of intermission. 

My chocolate soufflé cakes have become something of a signature item. How could you resist a cloud-like chocolate dessert served in one of these mini baking molds? I loved watching little kids jump up and down at the sight of them, pointing excitedly and tugging on their parents' arms to ask for money. So cute! 

I made zimtsternes for my first event at the Summer Opportunities Fair. After receiving such a positive response from customers, I had to bring them back. A traditional Swiss cookie made with ground almonds, honey, powdered sugar, and cinnamon, they are barely crunchy on the outside and soft in the center. Other items included grapfruit-olive oil loaf cake, and oatmeal raisin, lemon shortbread, and chocolate chunk cookies. 

The event was a great learning experience for me, because I branched out to an unfamiliar venue and catered to a unique crowd of people. It is important for me to adapt my presentation and tweak menu offerings based on where I am and who I am serving. After this event, I appreciate the expression, "It's all about the customer." While I have to stay true to my aesthetic, I must also be aware of my audience's desires. 

It is exciting for me to learn new lessons with every project I take on. Follow Let's Live La Vida on Facebook to see where I'll be popping up next. If you have any inquiries or would like me to cater a private function, please email me at maral.lavida@gmail.com.