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	<title>Confessions of a Chocoholic</title>
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	<link>https://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/</link>
	<description>a food blog by Bianca Garcia</description>
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	<title>Confessions of a Chocoholic</title>
	<link>https://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Blueberry Banana Bread</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/blueberry-banana-bread</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Aug 2021 16:09:01 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[banana bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blueberry banana bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blueberry muffin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert for breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipe]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14670</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The fresh and juicy blueberries and the crunchy sugar-sprinkled top makes it seem like a cross between a blueberry muffin and banana bread. It's the lovechild of two breakfast pastries.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/blueberry-banana-bread">Blueberry Banana Bread</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="https://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-banana-bread-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14671" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-banana-bread-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-banana-bread-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-banana-bread-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-banana-bread-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-banana-bread-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>I&#8217;m still here! I haven&#8217;t abandoned this blog, even though I&#8217;ve been absent for a few months (you can always find me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/confessionsofachocoholic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a>). If you&#8217;re still here, too, thanks for sticking around. And if you&#8217;re new, welcome! I&#8217;m Bianca and I love food and travel (well, pre-pandemic travel). I think about dessert constantly.</p>



<p>Banana bread is one of my favorite things to make (top of the list is brownies) and while I won&#8217;t ever say no to a slice of the <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/classic-banana-bread" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">classic</a>, this Blueberry Banana Bread might just be my newest baked good go-to. The fresh and juicy blueberries and the crunchy sugar-sprinkled top makes it seem like a cross between a blueberry muffin and banana bread. It&#8217;s the lovechild of two breakfast pastries.</p>



<span id="more-14670"></span>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="https://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/banana-bread-with-blueberries-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14672" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/banana-bread-with-blueberries-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/banana-bread-with-blueberries-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/banana-bread-with-blueberries-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/banana-bread-with-blueberries-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/banana-bread-with-blueberries-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>I also love this super simple recipe, made with ingredients I usually already have in our kitchen and pantry. And there are a couple of things that make this pretty special: coconut oil to make it bouncier and more fragrant, sour cream for just the tiniest bit of tang, and a generous sprinkling of turbinado sugar to give it a crunchy muffin-like top (you can also use regular white sugar, it just has smaller granules and won&#8217;t be as crunchy.)</p>



<p>Hope you are all well and healthy. xo</p>


<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		

<div align="center"><div class="ribbon"><strong>Yield:</strong> <span class="yield">1 loaf</span></div></div>

<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">Blueberry Banana Bread</h2>
</span>

<div class="summary" style="clear:left"><p>The lovechild of a classic banana bread and a blueberry muffin.</p>
</div>

<div class="time">
<p><strong>Prep Time:</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT15M"></span>15 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Cook Time:</strong> <span class="cooktime"><span class="value-title" title="PT1H"></span>1 hour</span></p>
<p><strong>Total Time:</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT1H15M"></span>1 hour 15 minutes</span></p>
</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"></p>
<p>1 teaspoon melted butter to grease loaf pan<br />1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/4 teaspoon cinnamon<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />2 eggs<br />1/2 cup coconut oil<br />3 very ripe bananas, mashed<br />1/4 cup sour cream<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />1 cup fresh blueberries<br />2 tablespoons turbinado sugar</p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><p>1.Preheat oven to 350 F.<br />
2. Butter a 9" x 5" loaf pan, then dust with flour.<br />
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.<br />
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sugars and eggs. Add coconut oil, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix to combine.<br />
5. Fold in flour mixture. Add blueberries<br />
6. Pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. Bake for an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.</p>
</div>




</div>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="https://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-muffin-banana-bread-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14676" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-muffin-banana-bread-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-muffin-banana-bread-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-muffin-banana-bread-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-muffin-banana-bread-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/blueberry-muffin-banana-bread-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p><em>I received some products from <a href="https://misen.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Misen</a>, including the santoku knife pictured here. Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Chocoholic&nbsp;and the brands that support this blog.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/blueberry-banana-bread">Blueberry Banana Bread</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cookie Bars with Ube Cream Cheese Frosting</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/cookie-bars-with-ube-cream-cheese-frosting</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2021 16:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cookies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cookie bars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cookies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cream cheese frosting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Filipino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sugar cookies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ube]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ube cookies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ube cream cheese frosting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ube frosting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14655</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>These Cookie Bars with Ube Cream Cheese Frosting is exactly what I wanted. The cookie base is perfectly chewy, thanks to the addition of an extra egg yolk. The frosting tastes decadent, but decidedly ube. If you're unfamiliar with the flavor of ube, it reminds me of a mix of vanilla and pistachio. And the frosting is perfectly creamy, from the mix of ube jam, cream cheese, and butter. The sprinkles add a fun little pop of texture. </p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/cookie-bars-with-ube-cream-cheese-frosting">Cookie Bars with Ube Cream Cheese Frosting</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cookie-bars-with-ube-frosting-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14656" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cookie-bars-with-ube-frosting-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cookie-bars-with-ube-frosting-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cookie-bars-with-ube-frosting-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cookie-bars-with-ube-frosting-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cookie-bars-with-ube-frosting-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>This coming week marks the one year anniversary of staying home because of the pandemic. I&#8217;ve baked my heart out. I made <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/olive-oil-cake-with-dulce-de-leche-filling-and-chocolate-frosting" target="_blank">layer cake</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/ube-basque-burnt-cheesecake" target="_blank">cheesecake</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/whole-wheat-fudge-brownies" target="_blank">brownies</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/coconut-ice-cream-pie" target="_blank">ice cream pie</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/black-forest-icebox-cake" target="_blank">icebox cake</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/vegan-chocolate-cake-with-non-vegan-fudge-frosting" target="_blank">chocolate cake</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake" target="_blank">snack cake</a>, and many more desserts that didn&#8217;t make it to the blog. We stopped traveling. Instead we just stayed in and did almost everything virtually. We worked out at home, called family and friends on video, ordered so much takeout (I was featured in this <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2021/01/22/food-influencers-takeout-photo-tips-instagram/" target="_blank">Boston Magazine article on how to take actually stunning photos of take-out food</a>). We&#8217;ve mastered the art of looking Zoom-ready every day while staying comfortable. Outside our cozy little apartment, the world has changed even more. </p>



<p>But one thing has also remained the same: <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/bosfilipinos/love-things-ube" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">my love for all things ube</a>.</p>



<span id="more-14655"></span>



<p>Ube brings me so much comfort, and comfort is what we all need after the year we had (and the pandemic is still not over).</p>



<p>For those new here: ube is purple yam. It’s vivid in color, mild in taste, almost nutty. It’s one of the most popular dessert ingredients in the Philippines, and certainly one of the most recognizable and craveable flavors.</p>



<p>I wanted to make something simple and unfussy, like sugar cookies, but in bar form (no need to roll the dough into balls). Then I wanted to frost it in cream cheese frosting, but not just any cream cheese frosting, I wanted ube frosting. And then I wanted to finish it with a sprinkle of nanpareils. So here we have one of the best treats I&#8217;ve ever made (according to my number one taste tester, my husband).</p>



<p>These<strong> Cookie Bars with Ube Cream Cheese Frosting</strong> is exactly what I wanted. The cookie base is perfectly chewy, thanks to the addition of an extra egg yolk. The frosting tastes decadent, but decidedly ube. If you&#8217;re unfamiliar with the flavor of ube, it reminds me of a mix of vanilla and pistachio. And the frosting is perfectly creamy, from the mix of ube jam, cream cheese, and butter. The sprinkles add a fun little pop of texture. </p>



<p>Cheers to a brighter, healthier, and more fun year ahead.</p>



<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		

<div align="center"><div class="ribbon"><strong>Yield:</strong> <span class="yield">16 bars</span></div></div>

<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">Cookie Bars with Ube Cream Cheese Frosting</h2>
</span>


<div class="time">
<p><strong>Prep Time:</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT10M"></span>10 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Cook Time:</strong> <span class="cooktime"><span class="value-title" title="PT15M"></span>15 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Total Time:</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT25M"></span>25 minutes</span></p>
</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"><h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">CAKE</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted<br />2/3 cup granulated sugar<br />1 whole egg<br />1 egg yolk&nbsp;<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />1 1/4 cup all purpose flour<br />1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/4 teaspoon salt</p>
<h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">FROSTING</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">1/4 cup ube jam<br />1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened<br />1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature<br />1/4 cup powdered sugar<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />2 drops ube extract (I used McCormick)<br />2 drops purple food coloring (optional)<br />2 tablespoons sprinkles (I used non-pareils)</p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><ol style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the cookie base. Preheat oven to 350 F.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Line an 9x9 in baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix well until smooth.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Pour batter into prepared pan. Press tops with a wooden spoon or spatula to even it out. Bake for 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the frosting. In the bowl of a standing mixer (or hand mixer), combine the ube jam, softened butter, and room temperature cream cheese. Using the whisk attachment, beat at medium speed, scraping bowl as needed, for a total of 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Add sugar, salt, ube extract, and food coloring (if using). Mix until well-incorporated, for another 1-2 minutes.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cookie base, and finish with sprinkles (if using). Cut into 16 even squares.</li>
</ol>
</div>


<div class="notes"><p><span style="color: #a7a4a1; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">Ube jam, or halaya, is made with mashed purple yam, plus a sweetener (sugar or condensed milk) and something to make it a little creamy (like coconut milk or butter). I used a brand that only has ube and sugar, which I purchased from Amazon. Ube jam is available at Filipino grocery stores, but most other Asian grocery stores also carry jars of it.&nbsp;</span></p>
</div>


</div>



<p>If you are interested in making more ube desserts, here are some of my favorites:</p>



<p><a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/ube-cookies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ube Cookies</a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="750" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ube-cookies_bianca-3-600x750.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14272" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ube-cookies_bianca-3-600x750.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ube-cookies_bianca-3-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p><a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/ube-white-chocolate-fudge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ube White Chocolate Fudge</a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="750" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ube-white-chocolate-fudge-600x750.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14362" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ube-white-chocolate-fudge-600x750.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ube-white-chocolate-fudge-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p><a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/ube-rice-crispies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ube Rice Crispies</a> </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ube-rice-crispies-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14513" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ube-rice-crispies-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ube-rice-crispies-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ube-rice-crispies-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ube-rice-crispies-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ube-rice-crispies-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p><a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/ube-basque-burnt-cheesecake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ube Basque Burnt Cheesecake</a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14639" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/cookie-bars-with-ube-cream-cheese-frosting">Cookie Bars with Ube Cream Cheese Frosting</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Olive Oil Cake with Dulce de Leche Filling and Chocolate Frosting</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/olive-oil-cake-with-dulce-de-leche-filling-and-chocolate-frosting</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Jan 2021 19:11:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Cakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[best birthday cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birthday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birthday cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[celebration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate birthday cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate frosting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate sour cream frosting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dulce de leche]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dulce de leche cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olive oil cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olive oil dulce de leche cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sour cream frosting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vanilla birthday cake]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14649</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Birthday Cake 2021 is an Olive Oil Layer Cake with Dulce de Leche Filling and Chocolate Frosting. A mouthful, indeed, and a twist on a classic.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/olive-oil-cake-with-dulce-de-leche-filling-and-chocolate-frosting">Olive Oil Cake with Dulce de Leche Filling and Chocolate Frosting</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Birthday-Cake-2021-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14650" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Birthday-Cake-2021-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Birthday-Cake-2021-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Birthday-Cake-2021-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Birthday-Cake-2021-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Birthday-Cake-2021-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>It&#8217;s a party as long as there&#8217;s cake.</p>



<p>Birthday Cake 2021 is an Olive Oil Layer Cake with Dulce de Leche Filling and Chocolate Frosting. A mouthful, indeed, and a twist on a classic.</p>



<span id="more-14649"></span>



<p>I turned 40 this month, and in a pandemic-free world, I would&#8217;ve had a big party celebrating my and Matt&#8217;s birthdays (only two days apart!) and invited our friends and families. But in-person celebrations will have to wait. Instead, I spent my birthday at home, with video calls, our favorite food delivered, and so much sweets. All day long I was showered with love and surprise desserts: a <a href="https://kalimotxoatx.com/food" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">basque cheesecake</a> from Matt, a <a href="https://milkbarstore.com/products/chocolate-birthday-cake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milk Bar cake</a> from my team, some <a href="https://jonquilscafe.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">French pastries</a> dropped off by one of my closest friends, quarts of <a href="https://www.theislanderscreamery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">small-batch ice cream</a> from another friend, and this homemade birthday cake.</p>



<p>I love making layer cakes for birthdays. The classic birthday cake is typically a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. My cakes usually have some sort of chocolate or <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dulce de leche</a> (or both). Matt loves vanilla cake and olive oil cake, really any kind of bouncy cake, and I knew I can combine all of those in a celebration cake.</p>



<p>I made this <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">olive oil snack cake</a>, but used lemon instead of orange, and made it in two round pans instead of a long rectangular one. I used canned dulce de leche because why not? And I whipped up a super-simple milk chocolate sour cream frosting (only 4 ingredients) that lent a creamy tanginess to the bouncy cake and decadent filling.</p>



<p>I may not have had the grand party I had imagined, but this birthday cake was perfect for our little celebration at home. And if you&#8217;d like to see birthday cakes from previous years, they&#8217;re all here: <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/dark-chocolate-truffle-cake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2020</a>, <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/nutella-birthday-cake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2019</a>, <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/chocolate-birthday-cake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2018</a>, <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/chocolate-almond-cake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2016</a>, <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/chocolate-cake-sour-cream-frosting" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2015</a>, <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/chocolate-rum-and-dulce-de-leche-pie" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2014</a>, <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/birthday-cake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2012</a>. </p>


<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		

<div align="center"><div class="ribbon"><strong>Yield:</strong> <span class="yield">serves 8-10</span></div></div>

<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">Olive Oil Cake with Dulce de Leche Filling and Chocolate Frosting</h2>
</span>


<div class="time">
<p><strong>Prep Time:</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT20M"></span>20 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Cook Time:</strong> <span class="cooktime"><span class="value-title" title="PT40M"></span>40 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Total Time:</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT1H"></span>1 hour</span></p>
</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"><h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">CAKE</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none;">1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pans<br />2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for pans<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1 teaspoon baking powder<br />1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />1 1/2 cups granulated sugar<br />3 large eggs<br />3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus freshly-grated zest from one lemon<br />1 1/4 cups whole&nbsp;<br />1 teaspoon vanilla</p>
<h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">FROSTING</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">12 oz milk chocolate<br />1 cup sour cream<br />1 teaspoon vanilla<br />1/4 teaspoon salt</p>
<h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">FILLING</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">12 oz prepared dulce de leche (I used Nestle La Lechera)</p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><ol style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the cake. Preheat oven to 375 F.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Grease two 9-inch cake pans with olive oil, and line with parchment paper. Brush with olive oil again and flour, shaking out excess flour. Set aside</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs, and orange zest in a large bowl for an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, set mixer on high, and whisk until thick, about 6 minutes.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Slowly drizzle in olive oil and continue whisking on high until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Set mixer speed to low. Add milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Continue mixing for another minute.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Pour batter in greased cake pan.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan then transfer to rack to cool completely. (I had made the cakes a day in advance and froze them overnight, then took them out about an hour before I was about to make the frosting.)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the frosting.&nbsp;In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate. Heat on full power for 30 seconds, then remove from microwave and stir. Everything would have started to melt but you&rsquo;ll still have some lumps. Heat again in 30-second intervals and stir until the mixture turns smooth. I heated everything for a total of 1 1/2 minutes. You can also melt the chocolate in a double broiler.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Pour melted chocolate in a bowl of a standing mixer, or a big bowl you can use with a hand mixer. Add sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Using the whisk attachment, beat at medium speed, scraping bowl as needed, for a total of 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Assemble the cake. Slice off any domed tops to have a flat/even surface on both sides of each cake layer.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Spread the dulce de leche evenly over one layer, then stack the other layer on top.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Frost the top and sides of cake with the chocolate sour cream frosting. Decorate with flowers or sprinkles. Enjoy!</li>
</ol>
</div>




</div>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/olive-oil-cake-with-dulce-de-leche-filling-and-chocolate-frosting">Olive Oil Cake with Dulce de Leche Filling and Chocolate Frosting</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
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			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Ube Basque Burnt Cheesecake</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/ube-basque-burnt-cheesecake</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Nov 2020 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Cakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[basque]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[basque burnt cheesecake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[basque cheesecake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[burnt cheesecake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cheesecake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Filipino food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Filipino recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spanish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spanish food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ube]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ube cheesecake]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14636</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Basque cheesecake has a burnt top on purpose. There is no crust, no water bath needed, and cracks and deflating are expected. It's exceptionally creamy, with the burnt top lending a slight umami flavor to each bite. I wanted to make it with ube, the flavor of my youth, the taste of home.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/ube-basque-burnt-cheesecake">Ube Basque Burnt Cheesecake</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14637" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>Basque cheesecake has a burnt top on purpose. There is no crust, no water bath needed, and cracks and deflating are expected. It&#8217;s exceptionally creamy, with the burnt top lending a slight umami flavor to each bite. I wanted to make it with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/bosfilipinos/love-things-ube" target="_blank">ube</a>, the flavor of my youth, the taste of home.</p>



<p>It was a late Thanksgiving dessert, and this is a late Thanksgiving blog post.</p>



<span id="more-14636"></span>



<p>Rewind to September. A couple of hours after I pressed &#8220;publish&#8221; on my last <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/last-summer-travels" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">post</a>, my husband Matt and I found out that my father-in-law has passed. It was devastating, to say the least. He and I had a special relationship, and we immediately clicked when we first met each other at their home in upstate New York. We shared a love for the same foods (cheese! sausages! liverwurst!) and he would often send me and Matt articles about restaurants and their best dishes. I beamed with so much pride when he would say, “you did good” &#8211; when I published a well-written blog post, or when I sent them some homemade treats. He was the best father-in-law I could have wished for and I already miss him terribly.</p>



<p>Since then, I have been avoiding posting on my blog. I had so wanted him to read the last post: very lengthy, but filled with memories about summer and travel. I wanted to spend more holidays with him, and send him some of his favorite spiced crackers. I wanted to do so many more things, but we all know how life goes. </p>



<p>This past Thursday, for Thanksgiving, it was just me and Matt in our apartment. No big get togethers, no traveling to New York, no family visiting from the Philippines, no Friendsgiving potluck. We were sad, yes, and grieving, but we also know that his dad is in a better place. We miss the rest of our families, very deeply, but we also know that we are much closer to getting a vaccine and soon we&#8217;ll be able to see and hug and celebrate in person again. We ate non-traditional Thanksgiving food: we ordered too much Chinese food, so that we also had leftovers for the next day (and the next). And I made cheesecake. A non-traditional cheesecake for a non-traditional celebration.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14639" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/burnt-ube-basque-cheesecake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>Basque burnt cheesecake is the alter ego to the classic New York-style cheesecake, as <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/basque-burnt-cheesecake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bon Appetit</a> has succinctly explained. It has a top so caramelized, it looks burnt. It is a crustless cheesecake, intended to look rustic. It&#8217;s very creamy, and tastes lighter than a classic American cheesecake. It is said to have originated from San Sebastian, <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/barcelona-spain" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spain</a> and I&#8217;ve been seeing it in more and more restaurants and Instagram feeds over the last couple of years. </p>



<p>I wanted to try my own spin on this, so I made it in a cake pan (instead of a spring form pan), making the cheesecake more dense. I also added ube, with a double whammy of ube jam and ube extract. It turned out delicious, and something I would definitely be making again. It gave me comfort, and it reminded me of home. I think if my father-in-law had tried this, he would have said &#8220;you did good.&#8221; And you know what? I think I did.</p>



<p>Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. xo</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-recipe-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14640" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-recipe-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-recipe-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-recipe-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-recipe-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ube-basque-cheesecake-recipe-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>


<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		

<div align="center"><div class="ribbon"><strong>Yield:</strong> <span class="yield">serves 8</span></div></div>

<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">Ube Basque Burnt Cheesecake</h2>
</span>


<div class="time">
<p><strong>Prep Time:</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT20M"></span>20 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Cook Time:</strong> <span class="cooktime"><span class="value-title" title="PT1H"></span>1 hour</span></p>
<p><strong>Total Time:</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT1H20M"></span>1 hour 20 minutes</span></p>
</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"><p><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 lb (2 blocks) cream cheese</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">3/4 cup sugar</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">3 large eggs</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 cup heavy cream</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1/4 cup ube halaya (ube jam)</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 teaspoon ube extract</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">3 drops violet gel food coloring (optional)</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;"><span>2 tablespoons all purpose flour</span><br /><span>1 tablespoon cornstarch</span></span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 tablespoon butter, melted (for buttering pan)</span></p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><ol style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Preheat oven to 400 F.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Brush the cake pan with melted butter, and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-low speed. Mix well until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about two minutes.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Increase speed to medium, and add in eggs one at a time, mixing until well-incorporated.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Add in cream, ube jam, ube extract, salt, and food coloring (if using). Continue beating on medium speed until well-blended.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Turn off mixer, and add sifted flour and cornstarch. Beat on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until the mixture is lump-free and silky.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until deeply golden brown on top ("burnt") and the center is still jiggly. Cool completely (expect it to deflate). I recommend chilling in fridge overnight before cutting and serving.</li>
</ol>
</div>


<div class="notes"><p><span style="color: #a7a4a1; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">Ube jam, or halaya, is made with mashed purple yam, plus a sweetener (sugar or condensed milk) and something to make it a little creamy (like coconut milk or butter). I used a brand that only has ube and sugar, which I purchased from Amazon. Ube jam is available at Filipino grocery stores, but most other Asian grocery stores also carry jars of it.&nbsp;</span></p>
</div>


</div>



<p></p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/ube-basque-burnt-cheesecake">Ube Basque Burnt Cheesecake</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Last Summer Travels</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/last-summer-travels</link>
					<comments>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/last-summer-travels#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2020 20:36:59 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Atlanta]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nashville]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[baseball]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14578</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>My husband and I were fighting over the last tube of Shanghai Tang lotion. Little did we know that the last time we mindlessly took home a couple of miniature amenities from the Conrad, one of our favorite hotels, that we would be cooped up and quarantined for months and months like the rest of the world. </p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/last-summer-travels">Last Summer Travels</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="799" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca_roberto-clemente-bridge-600x799.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14599" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca_roberto-clemente-bridge-600x799.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca_roberto-clemente-bridge-768x1023.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca_roberto-clemente-bridge-1153x1536.jpeg 1153w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca_roberto-clemente-bridge-1537x2048.jpeg 1537w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca_roberto-clemente-bridge-scaled.jpeg 1922w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>My husband and I were fighting over the last tube of Shanghai Tang lotion. Little did we know that the last time we mindlessly took home a couple of miniature amenities from the Conrad, one of our favorite hotels, that we would be cooped up and quarantined for months and months like the rest of the world. </p>



<span id="more-14578"></span>



<p>Little did we know that it would be more than a year before we could check in to another Conrad again, when we typically stay at a Conrad location at least twice a year, from Tokyo to New York and a few other places in between. Little did we know that one whiff of that scent will take us back to the pre-pandemic days, when we meticulously planned for our vacation days, when we would save up dollars and Delta miles, when my biggest complaint about our day was room service forgetting to bring up the extra mayo for our late night fries. Of the many things I learned during this pandemic, I&#8217;ve never been more grateful for the life we have and will have in the future.</p>



<p>We haven&#8217;t been on a plane together this year, and I&#8217;m not sure when we can fly for a vacation again. I took a few work trips in January and February to Chicago, Detroit, and New York, but work trips &#8211; while they can be fun and memorable &#8211; don&#8217;t hold a candle to when I travel with my husband. Matt, who never once laughed at me when I first showed him my travel spreadsheet (itinerary, outfits, and packing list in one), who lets me pick restaurants from hole in the walls to Michelin stars, who patiently reminds me which baseball team is playing whenever we&#8217;re visiting a new stadium to catch a game (since I&#8217;m usually distracted by each stadium&#8217;s ballpark franks and soft serve game). </p>



<p>Since we didn&#8217;t get to travel together anywhere this year, I figured I&#8217;ll re-live last year&#8217;s trips instead. Between the Summer and early Fall, Matt and I travelled to six cities (including an international flight) in five months: Pittsburgh, Raleigh, New York, Atlanta, Manila, and Nashville. Here are a few of my favorite memories. Get ready for a long blog post.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/andy-warhol-museum-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14601" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/andy-warhol-museum-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/andy-warhol-museum-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/andy-warhol-museum-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/andy-warhol-museum-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/andy-warhol-museum-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/primanti-brothers-sandwich-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14598" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/primanti-brothers-sandwich-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/primanti-brothers-sandwich-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/primanti-brothers-sandwich-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/primanti-brothers-sandwich-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/primanti-brothers-sandwich-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pittsburgh-baseball-stadium-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14602" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pittsburgh-baseball-stadium-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pittsburgh-baseball-stadium-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pittsburgh-baseball-stadium-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pittsburgh-baseball-stadium-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pittsburgh-baseball-stadium-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PNC-park-soft-serve-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14603" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PNC-park-soft-serve-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PNC-park-soft-serve-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PNC-park-soft-serve-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PNC-park-soft-serve-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PNC-park-soft-serve-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>Most of our summer travels include a baseball game because Matt is trying to visit all the <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/stadium-brownies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">baseball stadiums</a> and I like saying I&#8217;m a baseball wife. Last year, we picked Pittsburgh as our first summer destination and went there during Memorial Day weekend. We checked out the Andy Warhol museum, which was conveniently within walking distance to downtown and <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.mlb.com/pirates/ballpark" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PNC Park</a>. I love that they close the Roberto Clemente bridge during games so people can easily make their way from downtown to the stadium. We had a beautiful view of the bridge and the skyline from our seats. </p>



<p>Most importantly, we tried a <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.awaytravel.com/organizers/packing-cubes-six/blush" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Primanti Brothers</a> sandwich, a cultural icon in Pittsburgh, which features coleslaw AND fries <em>inside the sandwich</em>. We shared a pastrami sandwich before ambling over to our seats, and when I started getting antsy (second inning) I got up and got a soft serve. Kudos to PNC park for having the tallest soft serve I&#8217;ve had in a baseball stadium. I consider myself a stadium food aficionado now since I&#8217;ve been to eight: Fenway Park here in&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/summer-new-england" target="_blank">Boston</a>, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Citi Field in&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/nyc-trip-2017" target="_blank">Queens</a>, Kauffman Stadium in&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/random/2017-best-moments" target="_blank">Kansas City</a>, Dodger Stadium in&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/eat-los-angeles-ca" target="_blank">Los Angeles</a>, Camden Yards in&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/baltimore/the-best-things-to-do-and-eat-in-baltimore-maryland" target="_blank">Baltimore</a>, and PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and Truist Park in Atlanta (more on Atlanta below).</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Raleigh, North Carolina</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/john-prime-mural-raleigh-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14586" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/john-prime-mural-raleigh-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/john-prime-mural-raleigh-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/john-prime-mural-raleigh-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/john-prime-mural-raleigh-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/john-prime-mural-raleigh-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/trophy-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14585" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/trophy-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/trophy-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/trophy-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/trophy-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/trophy-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-fried-chicken-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14584" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-fried-chicken-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-fried-chicken-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-fried-chicken-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-fried-chicken-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-fried-chicken-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-blueberry-pie-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14583" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-blueberry-pie-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-blueberry-pie-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-blueberry-pie-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-blueberry-pie-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beasleys-blueberry-pie-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/raleigh-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14587" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/raleigh-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/raleigh-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/raleigh-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/raleigh-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/raleigh-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>During the 4th of July weekend, we went to Raleigh to visit some of Matt&#8217;s family and we had such a great time. We stayed right downtown and even though it was gray and rainy that weekend, we were able to walk to so many places. Our group loved <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.trophybrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Trophy Brewery</a> &#8211; even though I&#8217;m not really a beer drinker, I still enjoyed their blueberry beer. Then we sauntered over to <a href="https://ac-restaurants.com/beasleys/" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beasley&#8217;s</a> just a couple of doors down. I ate fried bologna for the first time (amazing), fried chicken with mashed potatoes (perfection), and the best slice of blueberry pie I&#8217;ve ever had (seriously, the best).</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">New York City, New York</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt-yankee-staidum-2019-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14589" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt-yankee-staidum-2019-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt-yankee-staidum-2019-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt-yankee-staidum-2019-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt-yankee-staidum-2019-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt-yankee-staidum-2019-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt_yankee-stadium-2019-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14590" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt_yankee-stadium-2019-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt_yankee-stadium-2019-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt_yankee-stadium-2019-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt_yankee-stadium-2019-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt_yankee-stadium-2019-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beekman-hotel-floors-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14588" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beekman-hotel-floors-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beekman-hotel-floors-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beekman-hotel-floors-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beekman-hotel-floors-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/beekman-hotel-floors-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/joes-pizza-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14591" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/joes-pizza-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/joes-pizza-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/joes-pizza-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/joes-pizza-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/joes-pizza-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/downtown-NYC-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14592" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/downtown-NYC-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/downtown-NYC-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/downtown-NYC-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/downtown-NYC-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/downtown-NYC-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-matt_ssam-bar-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14593" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-matt_ssam-bar-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-matt_ssam-bar-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-matt_ssam-bar-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-matt_ssam-bar-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-matt_ssam-bar-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt_momofuku-NYC-2019-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14594" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt_momofuku-NYC-2019-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt_momofuku-NYC-2019-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt_momofuku-NYC-2019-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt_momofuku-NYC-2019-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bianca-and-matt_momofuku-NYC-2019-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-bianca_ssam-bar-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14595" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-bianca_ssam-bar-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-bianca_ssam-bar-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-bianca_ssam-bar-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-bianca_ssam-bar-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gp-and-bianca_ssam-bar-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/momofuku-duck-ssam-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14596" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/momofuku-duck-ssam-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/momofuku-duck-ssam-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/momofuku-duck-ssam-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/momofuku-duck-ssam-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/momofuku-duck-ssam-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/milk-bar-cereal-milk-ice-cream-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14597" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/milk-bar-cereal-milk-ice-cream-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/milk-bar-cereal-milk-ice-cream-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/milk-bar-cereal-milk-ice-cream-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/milk-bar-cereal-milk-ice-cream-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/milk-bar-cereal-milk-ice-cream-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>We go to NYC regularly and often stay at the same hotels midtown, but this time, for our anniversary, we stayed at <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.thebeekman.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Beekman</a> downtown. My gosh, that hotel is so beautiful, filled with old school glamour &#8211; I can&#8217;t get over their incredible tiled floors &#8211; and just the best customer service. We would absolutely be going back there, and as an added bonus it&#8217;s a stone&#8217;s throw away from <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.joespizzanyc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joe&#8217;s Pizza</a>. Matt and I don&#8217;t always agree on pizza. I want a super cheesy pan pizza (give me a <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/bar-pizza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bar pizza</a> anytime), and he likes a classic New York pizza with a thin, hand-tossed crust, but we both agree that Joe&#8217;s is our favorite and that we can eat it (almost) every day.</p>



<p>We met up with our dear friend GP at <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://ssambar.momofuku.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Momofuku Ssam Bar</a> specifically to try their <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM-jl6Spmz0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">famous roast duck ssam</a> &#8211; a whole rotisserie duck that stuffed with sausage, deboned, roasted, and served with rice, greens, pancakes, kimchi, lettuce, hot sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger scallion sauce. We had to make reservations and order it in advance (haha remember restaurant reservations huhu) and it was this massive, immersive, joyous meal that the 3 of us finished (it is typically for 4-6 people). Just looking at that picture and typing this all up made my mouth water. And then, even though we were stuffed (like that duck, ha!) we strolled over to <a href="https://milkbarstore.com/" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milk Bar</a> and got cereal milk ice cream. I loved eating with two of my favorite people and that day is cemented as one of my favorite meals ever.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Atlanta, Georgia</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt-and-bianca_atlanta-1-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14611" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt-and-bianca_atlanta-1-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt-and-bianca_atlanta-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt-and-bianca_atlanta-1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt-and-bianca_atlanta-1-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/matt-and-bianca_atlanta-1-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/fox-brothers-fried-pickles-1-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14612" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/fox-brothers-fried-pickles-1-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/fox-brothers-fried-pickles-1-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/fox-brothers-fried-pickles-1-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/fox-brothers-fried-pickles-1-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/fox-brothers-fried-pickles-1-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ponce-city-market-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14610" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ponce-city-market-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ponce-city-market-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ponce-city-market-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ponce-city-market-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ponce-city-market-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/leia-and-bianca_madewell-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14608" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/leia-and-bianca_madewell-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/leia-and-bianca_madewell-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/leia-and-bianca_madewell-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/leia-and-bianca_madewell-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/leia-and-bianca_madewell-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/coca-cola_design-brief-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14607" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/coca-cola_design-brief-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/coca-cola_design-brief-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/coca-cola_design-brief-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/coca-cola_design-brief-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/coca-cola_design-brief-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/south-city-she-crab-soup-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14609" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/south-city-she-crab-soup-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/south-city-she-crab-soup-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/south-city-she-crab-soup-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/south-city-she-crab-soup-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/south-city-she-crab-soup-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>I&#8217;ve stopped over at the Atlanta airport dozens of times but this was my first time actually going out to the city. We spent Labor Day weekend there to see a Braves game, which is where I learned my lesson to never eat a giant tray of <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.foxbrosbbq.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fox Bros</a> brisket before a baseball game because I definitely fell asleep at my seat. However I still daydream about that glorious plate of fried pickles and fried jalapenos, and when we go back to Atlanta, we are definitely getting that again. </p>



<p>We also went to the <a href="https://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/">Coca-Cola museum</a>, and spent a few hours at the <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://poncecitymarket.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ponce City Market</a>, where we met up with my friend Leia, who was working at Madewell at that time. Leah introduced us to <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.hopschicken.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hop&#8217;s chicken</a> and for a hot minute, I seriously considered moving to Atlanta. (Not closing our doors though!)</p>



<p>The best thing I ate in Atlanta, however, was the She Crab soup at <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://midtown.southcitykitchen.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">South City Kitchen</a>. So velvety and rich, with fresh cream, a touch of sherry, and a drizzle of an herby oil. It was flawless. </p>



<p>Also in Atlanta: we had a couple celebrity sightings! While we were having breakfast at the <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.fourseasons.com/atlanta/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Four Seasons</a>, <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Quaid" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jack Quaid</a> strolled past our table a couple of times. I really wanted to approach him and tell him how much we LOOVVEEEE <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C8NJQSH/?" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Boys</a> (and also how much I love his mom&#8217;s romcom movies) but then I thought maybe celebrities stay at the Four Seasons to avoid weird fans like me? So I decided not to bother him and while I was focusing on my eggs benedict, Matt discreetly pointed out <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Urban" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Karl Urban</a>! Most people probably don&#8217;t know who Jack Quaid is (son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, played Marvel in Hunger Games) but more people would be familiar with Karl Urban (LOTR, Thor, Star Trek). Superhero/TV addicts like me would be familiar with both of them because of the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C8NJQSH/">Amazon series</a>. We saw Butcher and Hughie!! </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Manila, Philippines</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/garcia-home_manila-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14615" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/garcia-home_manila-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/garcia-home_manila-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/garcia-home_manila-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/garcia-home_manila-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/garcia-home_manila-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="450" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/mom-bday-2019-600x450.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14616" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/mom-bday-2019-600x450.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/mom-bday-2019-768x576.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/mom-bday-2019-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/mom-bday-2019-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_2909-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14614" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_2909-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_2909-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_2909-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_2909-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_2909-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ube-shake-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14613" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ube-shake-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ube-shake-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ube-shake-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ube-shake-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ube-shake-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>We went back to Manila in September for a quick trip. We celebrated my mom&#8217;s birthday, my dad had a successful surgery, and because it was sort of an impromptu trip, we didn&#8217;t have a jampacked itinerary, and instead just spent our days hanging out with my family. My friend Fe (my first <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/lisbon-portugal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">travel buddy</a>) introduced me to some new local and artisan brands like <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.zarahjuan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zarah Juan</a>, which makes me even more excited to go back and do some serious shopping. Of course no trip to the Philippines is complete without overindulging in <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/bosfilipinos/love-things-ube" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">all things ube</a>, like this ube shake from <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.instagram.com/manamph/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Manam</a>.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Nashville, Tennessee</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/loveless-cafe-biscuits-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14620" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/loveless-cafe-biscuits-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/loveless-cafe-biscuits-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/loveless-cafe-biscuits-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/loveless-cafe-biscuits-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/loveless-cafe-biscuits-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ryman-auditorium-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14621" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ryman-auditorium-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ryman-auditorium-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ryman-auditorium-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ryman-auditorium-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ryman-auditorium-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="450" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/legends-corner-nashville-600x450.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14619" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/legends-corner-nashville-600x450.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/legends-corner-nashville-768x576.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/legends-corner-nashville-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/legends-corner-nashville-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-nashville-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14618" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-nashville-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-nashville-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-nashville-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-nashville-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-nashville-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-hot-chicken-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14617" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-hot-chicken-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-hot-chicken-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-hot-chicken-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-hot-chicken-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/hattie-b-hot-chicken-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>By the time October rolled around, we wanted to squeeze in one more fun trip before we hunkered down for the Fall. We&#8217;ve both been wanting to visit Music City for a while, and the perfect opportunity came when I went there for work, and Matt followed afterwards so we can spend the weekend together. We made the trek to <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.lovelesscafe.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Loveless Cafe</a> where we gobbled up the most adorable biscuits and jams. We did a tour of the historic <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://ryman.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ryman Auditorium</a>,  where Johnny Casy met June Carter, home of the Grand Ole Opry, where luminaries from Elvis to BB King have performed. It seemed like sacred ground, and I wish we could have seen a live show. </p>



<p>We also waited in the long lines for <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://hattieb.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hattie B&#8217;s Hot Chicken</a>. There were different heat levels, from <em>Southern (no heat) </em>to <em>Shut the Cluck Up (burn notice)</em>, and I went with <em>Hot! (feel the heat)</em>, with a side of pimento mac and cheese and southern greens. (Plus some banana pudding which I brought back home to our <a aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.loewshotels.com/vanderbilt-hotel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hotel</a>.) True to its word, Hattie B&#8217;s had HOT chicken &#8211; toeing the line between perfectly spicy to a little too spicy, it was addicting and I easily finished my order. 100% worth the wait in line.</p>



<p>Now, a year later, we are yearning for the day when we can travel again. Until then, we&#8217;ll be waiting and staying home, reminiscing with tiny toiletries and our memories.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/travel/last-summer-travels">Last Summer Travels</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Whole Wheat Fudge Brownies</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/whole-wheat-fudge-brownies</link>
					<comments>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/whole-wheat-fudge-brownies#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2020 11:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bakery style brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chewy brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[classic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[classic brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fudge brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fudgy brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whole wheat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whole wheat brownies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whole wheat fudge brownies]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14568</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p> These Whole Wheat Fudge Brownies are intensely fudgy, with deep chocolate flavor, just the right amount of chew (no cakey brownies here) and remind me of the brownies from my favorite bakery. </p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/whole-wheat-fudge-brownies">Whole Wheat Fudge Brownies</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/whole-wheat-brownies-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14570" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/whole-wheat-brownies-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/whole-wheat-brownies-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/whole-wheat-brownies-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/whole-wheat-brownies-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/whole-wheat-brownies-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>I don&#8217;t know what the future holds but I know there will be brownies.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s been over four months since we last had people over, which was the last time I made brownies. That&#8217;s four months <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/vegan-chocolate-cake-with-non-vegan-fudge-frosting" target="_blank">quarantine</a> with my sweet husband, filled with mixed emotions and lots of delicious food: adventurous new recipes, old stand-by&#8217;s, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/filipino-chicken-adobo" target="_blank">Filipino</a> comfort food, delivery from our favorite restaurants, multiple pints of ice cream, different kinds of <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake" target="_blank">cake</a>. But no brownies. Until now.</p>



<span id="more-14568"></span>



<p>And let me tell you: these brownies are the best I&#8217;ve made in years. And I have made <em>a lot</em> of brownies. These <strong>Whole Wheat Fudge Brownies</strong> are intensely fudgy, with deep chocolate flavor, just the right amount of chew (no cakey brownies here) and remind me of the brownies from my favorite <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://flourbakery.com/" target="_blank">bakery</a>. </p>



<p>I only slightly tweaked my go-to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/stadium-brownies" target="_blank">brownie</a> recipe: added a bit more sugar, used extra large eggs, and swapped whole wheat all purpose flour for regular all purpose flour. I used flour from <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.onemightymill.com/" target="_blank">One Mighty Mill</a>, a local company in Lynn, Massachusetts that makes fresh-milled, nutritious flour by stone-milling grains the old-fashioned way. I&#8217;ve never heard of &#8220;farm-to-table&#8221; flour before and I loved learning more about their <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.onemightymill.com/our-story" target="_blank">story</a>. I also used to be wary of using whole wheat flour in baked goods, but maybe I&#8217;ve just never found the right type of flour until I tried One Mighty Mill. <span class="has-inline-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color">(This is not a sponsored post, I&#8217;m just sharing something I love!)</span></p>



<p>I made these fudge brownies as classic as can be: no <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/salted-caramel-crunch-brownies" target="_blank">sea salt</a>, no <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/salted-dulce-de-leche-brownies" target="_blank">dulce de leche</a>, no <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/nutella-crunch-brownies" target="_blank">nutella</a>, no <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/peanut-butter-crunch-brownies" target="_blank">peanut butter</a>, no <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/cream-cheese-and-peppermint-crunch-brownies" target="_blank">cream cheese</a>, no <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/chile-olive-oil-dinner-party" target="_blank">olive oil</a>. It&#8217;s simple and wholesome and has an intense chocolate flavor. And these whole wheat fudge brownies are incredible. Not to say that this recipe won&#8217;t make a great brownie base, but it is pretty perfect as it is. And pretty perfect is exactly what I need right now.</p>



<p>The last few months have been so far from pretty and perfect. It has been scary and eye-opening. The world has changed, and I hope it&#8217;s still changing for the better. I dream about the day when there&#8217;s a vaccine for all. When we can celebrate without fear and paranoia. When it is finally safe to see and hug our family and friends in person again. And when that day comes, I will have these brownies ready.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fudge-brownies-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14571" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fudge-brownies-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fudge-brownies-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fudge-brownies-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fudge-brownies-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fudge-brownies-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>


<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		

<div align="center"><div class="ribbon"><strong>Yield:</strong> <span class="yield">16 bars</span></div></div>

<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">Whole Wheat Fudge Brownies</h2>
</span>


<div class="time">
<p><strong>Prep Time:</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT15M"></span>15 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Cook Time:</strong> <span class="cooktime"><span class="value-title" title="PT25M"></span>25 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Total Time:</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT40M"></span>40 minutes</span></p>
</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"><p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">1 1/4 sticks salted butter, melted (plus more for buttering pan)<br />3 extra large eggs<br />1 cup dark brown sugar<br />3/4 cup granulated sugar<br />1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />1 teaspoon espresso powder<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour</p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><ol style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Preheat oven to 350 F.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, sugars, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and coffee. Mix well.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Stir in flour and salt. Whisk together until smooth.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Spread brownie batter in a parchment paper-lined and buttered 8x8 pan.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Bake 25-28 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in brownie comes out clean.</li>
</ol>
</div>




</div>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/whole-wheat-fudge-brownies">Whole Wheat Fudge Brownies</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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			<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Coconut Ice Cream Pie</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/coconut-ice-cream-pie</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2020 03:53:13 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Icy Treats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coconut]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coconut ice cream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coconut ice cream pie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coconut milk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Father's Day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ice cream pie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[no churn ice cream]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14546</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>To celebrate my dad, I made this Coconut Ice Cream Pie. A frozen summer pie with homemade no-churn ice cream (no ice cream maker needed) and a sweet-salty graham cracker crust.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/coconut-ice-cream-pie">Coconut Ice Cream Pie</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/coconut-ice-cream-pie-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14548" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/coconut-ice-cream-pie-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/coconut-ice-cream-pie-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/coconut-ice-cream-pie-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/coconut-ice-cream-pie-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/coconut-ice-cream-pie-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>I&#8217;d like to take a moment to celebrate. Even in the midst of a pandemic and a heartbroken and enraged nation, this weekend we are celebrating <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html" target="_blank">Juneteenth</a>, the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/summer-solstice-astronomy" target="_blank">Summer Solstice</a>, and Father&#8217;s Day. And to me, one of the best ways to celebrate on a summer day is with ice cream.</p>



<span id="more-14546"></span>



<p>Ice cream is also a perfect treat to honor my dad, who is like me in so many ways: early-riser, TV-watcher, planner. Sometimes we are like two peas in a pod: always waking up before everyone else, indulging our <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/nutella-banana-pudding" target="_blank">sweet tooth</a> when possible, devouring articles and books, relying on facts and data, patiently waiting for my mom when she is shopping, impatiently waiting for other people when they are late, preferring order and routine.</p>



<p>And sometimes we are on extreme ends of the spectrum: with our personalities (him: a true introvert; me: the complete opposite), our temperaments (him: reserved and in control; me: often shushed at the Amtrak silent car), our entertainment preferences (him: critically-acclaimed films; me: The Real Housewives of New York City). </p>



<p>But we always agree on ice cream. Together we gobbled up gelato every day when we vacationed in Italy a decade ago. Similarly, we eat ice cream to soothe sickness (him: vertigo; me: anything). And we even make the same homemade <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/avocado-ice-cream" target="_blank">avocado ice cream</a> (him: for my sisters; me: for me).</p>



<p>So to celebrate my dad, I made this <strong>Coconut Ice Cream Pie</strong>. A frozen summer pie with homemade no-churn ice cream (no ice cream maker needed) and a sweet-salty graham cracker crust. I topped the pie with fresh blueberries and blackberries, but make no mistake &#8211; the dominant flavor is coconut. Each cooling, creamy bite bursts with layers of coconut from the three types used in this pie: coconut milk in the ice cream base, coconut oil in the crust, <em>and</em> toasted sweetened coconut flakes in the crust and sprinkled on top.</p>



<p>To make <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/mini-coconut-ice-cream-sandwiches" target="_blank">no-churn ice cream</a>, you typically combine whipped cream with condensed milk, but for this version, I added coconut milk for a little island flavor. Full fat coconut milk makes for a really velvety mouth-feel, the whipped cream keeps everything soft and fluffy, and the condensed milk  (the nectar of my childhood) lends a creamy sweetness to each bite. The crust is buttery, even if there&#8217;s no butter involved, with just the right amount of salt and the perfect textural contrast to the ice cream.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/no-churn-coconute-ice-cream-pie-600x800.jpeg" alt="no-churn-coconute-ice-cream-pie" class="wp-image-14547" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/no-churn-coconute-ice-cream-pie-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/no-churn-coconute-ice-cream-pie-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/no-churn-coconute-ice-cream-pie-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/no-churn-coconute-ice-cream-pie-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/no-churn-coconute-ice-cream-pie-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>


<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		

<div align="center"><div class="ribbon"><strong>Yield:</strong> <span class="yield">serves 8</span></div></div>

<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">Coconut Ice Cream Pie</h2>
</span>


<div class="time">
<p><strong>Prep Time:</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT12H15M"></span>12 hours 15 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Cook Time:</strong> <span class="cooktime"><span class="value-title" title="PT30M"></span>30 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Total Time:</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT12H45M"></span>12 hours 45 minutes</span></p>
</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"><h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">Crust</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">1 cup sweetened flaked coconut<br />1 cup graham cracker crumbs or crushed graham crackers<br />1/4 cup coconut oil<br />1/2 teaspoon salt</p>
<h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">ICE CREAM</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">14 oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk<br />14 oz (1 can) full fat coconut milk<br />2 cups heavy cream</p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><ol style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; height: auto !important;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the pie crust. Preheat oven to 350 F.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Spread coconut flakes evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Stir the flakes around at the 8 minute mark and start checking for doneness at the 10 minute mark as the coconut will toast quickly.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Let cool completely on the baking sheet and set aside.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">If your coconut oil is still in a solid state, microwave for a minute until it's in liquid state.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers, coconut oil, salt, and 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut flakes (reserving the rest for topping). Mix well and then press firmly onto a 9-inch pie dish. Chill until ready to fill (about 20 minutes).</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the ice cream. In a medium mixing bowl, combine condensed milk and coconut milk. Set aside.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Gently fold in condensed milk mixture into whipped cream until well incorporated.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Remove pie crust from fridge and scrape ice cream mixture into crust. Freeze for 12 hours or overnight.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Before serving, top with fresh berries and toasted coconut.</li>
</ol>
</div>




</div>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/homemade-coconut-ice-cream-pie-600x800.jpeg" alt="homemade coconut ice cream pie" class="wp-image-14551" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/homemade-coconut-ice-cream-pie-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/homemade-coconut-ice-cream-pie-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/homemade-coconut-ice-cream-pie-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/homemade-coconut-ice-cream-pie-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/homemade-coconut-ice-cream-pie-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>So this weekend, as we celebrate freedom and summer and our fathers, I&#8217;m savoring a slice of ice cream pie and thinking about my dad. My ice cream partner and my inspiration in so many ways.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/dad-green-tea-ice-cream-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14561" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/dad-green-tea-ice-cream-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/dad-green-tea-ice-cream-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/dad-green-tea-ice-cream-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/dad-green-tea-ice-cream-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/dad-green-tea-ice-cream-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>Happy Father&#8217;s Day, Daddy! </p>



<p>If you’d like to read more Father’s Day tributes and recipes inspired by my dad, check out these posts: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Easy Carrot Cake (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/easy-carrot-cake" target="_blank">Easy Carrot Cake</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/spaghetti-with-meat-sauce" target="_blank">Spaghetti with Meat Sauce</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/no-churn-coffee-cake-ice-cream" target="_blank">No Churn Coffee Cake Ice Cream</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/avocado-ice-cream">Filipino Avocado Ice Cream</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/banana-caramel-upside-down-cake" target="_blank">Banana Caramel Upside Down Cake</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/healthy/japanese-fried-cauliflower-rice" target="_blank">Japanese Fried Cauliflower Rice</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/salted-chocolate-banoffee-pie" target="_blank">Salted Chocolate Banoffee Pie</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/steak-on-the-stovetop" target="_blank">Steak on the Stovetop</a>, and&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/nutella-banana-pudding" target="_blank">Nutella Banana Pudding</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/coconut-ice-cream-pie">Coconut Ice Cream Pie</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Black Forest Icebox Cake</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/black-forest-icebox-cake</link>
					<comments>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/black-forest-icebox-cake#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2020 15:35:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Cakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Icy Treats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[no bake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[black forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[black forest cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[black forest icebox cake&#039;]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boozy cherries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cherries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cherry garcia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cherry garcia smoothie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[easy desserts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[easy recipe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[icebox cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother's Day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strawberry nutella icebox cake]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14534</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>My version of Black Forest Cake has only five ingredients: chocolate wafers, cream, powdered sugar, luxardo cherries, and dark chocolate shavings. The cake doesn't need to be baked, just assembled and frozen (which is why it's called an icebox cake). But it has all the flavors of the cake that my mom and I love.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/black-forest-icebox-cake">Black Forest Icebox Cake</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/no-bake-black-forest-cake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14535" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/no-bake-black-forest-cake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/no-bake-black-forest-cake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/no-bake-black-forest-cake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/no-bake-black-forest-cake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/no-bake-black-forest-cake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>A classic Black Forest Cake is a chocolate sponge cake, layered with a cherry filling and whipped cream, and topped with chocolate shavings. It is one of those things that I grew up with and never really cared for, until I became an adult and discovered the magic of pairing <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/chocolate-cherry-truffle-mini-brownies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="cherries and chocolate  (opens in a new tab)">cherries and chocolate </a>together.</p>



<span id="more-14534"></span>



<p>Thanks to my mom, who is my biggest food influencer, and who has exposed me to all sorts of delicious food from the very beginning (literally from the time she was <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/cheese/kesong-puti-a-cheese-ive-loved-my-whole-life" target="_blank">pregnant</a> with me). She and I share a deep appreciation for cheese, anchovies, key lime pie, pasta, dips, and so much more. </p>



<p>Recently, after Matt and I ordered some Chinese food for delivery, and I was eating mapo tofu and roast duck, I had such an aching for my mom to be nearby, so we can eat together. But we live in different countries and with this pandemic, it seems like we are even more physically apart. So for this Mother&#8217;s Day &#8211; like every Mother&#8217;s Day during the last decade or so &#8211; I wanted to make food that connects us. </p>



<p>When I brainstorm recipes with my mom, she always leans towards and suggests chocolate desserts with cherries (like this <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="cherries and chocolate  (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/rocky-road-fudge-with-boozy-cherries" target="_blank">Rocky Road Fudge with Boozy Cherries</a> or <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/dark-chocolate-nutella-cherry-truffles">Dark Chocolate Nutella Cherry Truffles</a>). And when I was telling her that I&#8217;d love to go to Germany and Austria, she encouraged me, reminding me that I can feast on black forest (a German cake) and sacher-torte (an Austrian cake, another favorite). <em>Note to self: Matt and I should plan a European trip when it&#8217;s safe to travel again.</em></p>



<p>So that&#8217;s how I ended up with this. My version of Black Forest Cake has only five ingredients: chocolate wafers, cream, powdered sugar, luxardo cherries, and dark chocolate shavings. The cake doesn&#8217;t need to be baked, just assembled and frozen (which is why it&#8217;s called an <em>icebox</em> cake). But it has all the flavors of the cake that my mom and I love.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/black-forest-icebox-cake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14536" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/black-forest-icebox-cake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/black-forest-icebox-cake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/black-forest-icebox-cake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/black-forest-icebox-cake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/black-forest-icebox-cake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>For ease (and also: lack of baking ingredients in my pantry during the pandemic) I used chocolate wafers as the cake base &#8211; essentially thin oreos without the cream. If you can&#8217;t find these <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="cherries and chocolate  (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.heb.com/product-detail/nabisco-famous-chocolate-wafers/138764" target="_blank">Nabisco famous chocolate wafers</a> (or its generic counterparts), chocolate graham crackers would work well, too. When you layer these wafers with whipped cream and let it set in the freezer overnight, they soften into a dense, cake-like texture, which is perfect for an <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="cherries and chocolate  (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/strawberry-nutella-icebox-cake" target="_blank">icebox cake recipe</a> like this. </p>



<p>For the cherry filling, I used <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="cherries and chocolate  (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/luxardo-maraschino-cherries/" target="_blank">luxardo cherries</a>, which are Italian maraschino cherries &#8211; plump marasca cherries preserved in cherry liqueur. I love these luxardo cheeries, with their deep dark red color and rich syrup. They&#8217;re the adult version of those bright red candied cherries that are ubiquitous in cocktails. I layered everything with homemade whipped cream (but no judgement if you use ready-made) and then showered the top of the cake with dark chocolate shavings. </p>


<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		

<div align="center"><div class="ribbon"><strong>Yield:</strong> <span class="yield">serves 8</span></div></div>

<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">No Bake Black Forest Cake</h2>
</span>


<div class="time">
<p><strong>Prep Time:</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT10M"></span>10 minutes</span></p>

<p><strong>Total Time:</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT4H10M"></span>4 hours 10 minutes</span></p>
</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"><p><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">2 cups heavy cream</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1/2 cup confectioners sugar</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">18 pieces (approx 5 oz) chocolate wafers</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">8 oz&nbsp; luxardo cherries</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 tablespoon dark chocolate shavings</span></p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><ol style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, with overhang over the edges. This is important as this will let you lift the cake out for slicing.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the whipped cream. Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer) with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and sugar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Start assembling the cake. The layers are: cream, wafers, cream, cherries, cream, wafers, cream, cherries, cream, wafers, cream. Spread a few spoonfulls of the whipped cream in the bottom of the loaf pan. Assemble a layer of chocolate wafers. It's okay if some break and if there's a little overlap but just arrange it so you have one even layer without too much gaps. Spread another layer of whipped cream, then about half of the cherries. Repeat, and then assemble the last layer of wafers and cream.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Top cake with chocolate shavings.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Serve chilled.</li>
</ol>
</div>


<div class="notes"><p><span style="color: #a7a4a1; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">This recipe uses about half a jar of luxardo cherries, but if you want more cherry and liqueur flavor, use an entire jar (14 oz).</span></p>
</div>


</div>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/frozen-black-forest-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14538" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/frozen-black-forest-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/frozen-black-forest-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/frozen-black-forest-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/frozen-black-forest-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/frozen-black-forest-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/mom-taipei-600x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14537" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/mom-taipei-600x800.jpg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/mom-taipei-768x1024.jpg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/mom-taipei-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/mom-taipei-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/mom-taipei-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>Hope you&#8217;re enjoying your weekend and celebrating your mothers. Happy Mother&#8217;s Day to my beautiful mom, who loves food and shopping as much as I do. We may be apart but we are always together.</p>



<p>If you’d like&nbsp;read my Mother’s Day posts from previous years, they’re all here:&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/cheese/kesong-puti-a-cheese-ive-loved-my-whole-life" target="_blank">2011</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/seafood/marcella-hazan-and-my-marcelia" target="_blank">2012</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/dessert/key-lime-pie" target="_blank">2013</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/chocolate/caramel-thumbprint-cookies" target="_blank">2014</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/my-moms-pasta-sauce" target="_blank">2015</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/almond-cinnamon-buns" target="_blank">2016</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/crab-cake-linguini" target="_blank">2017</a>,&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/cheesy-anchovy-toast" target="_blank">2018</a>, <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/spinach-gorgonzola-dip">2019</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/black-forest-icebox-cake">Black Forest Icebox Cake</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<item>
		<title>Vegan Chocolate Cake (with Non-vegan Fudge Frosting)</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/vegan-chocolate-cake-with-non-vegan-fudge-frosting</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Apr 2020 17:03:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Cakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate frosting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate fudge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chocolate ganache]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frosting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fudge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ganache]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olive oil cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snack cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vegan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vegan chocolate cake]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14527</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Vegan chocolate cake, fragrant with olive oil, with a deep chocolate flavor, and a tender crumb. Topped with a sweet and decadent fudge-ganache frosting. What I ended up with was something cheery and chocolatey. A bright spot in a seemingly eerie world. A perfect little slice for these imperfect times.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/vegan-chocolate-cake-with-non-vegan-fudge-frosting">Vegan Chocolate Cake (with Non-vegan Fudge Frosting)</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/vegan-chocolate-cake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14531" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/vegan-chocolate-cake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/vegan-chocolate-cake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/vegan-chocolate-cake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/vegan-chocolate-cake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/vegan-chocolate-cake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>Do you want to bake something but don&#8217;t have eggs or butter? Do you have an aggressive craving for chocolate almost every day? Do you need a distraction from what&#8217;s happening with the world? Do you want a <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake">snack cake</a> / breakfast cake / celebration cake / quarantine cake? If you answered yes, then you are me and I am you.</p>



<span id="more-14527"></span>



<p>It&#8217;s been several weeks since this pandemic hit the world, and every day, I&#8217;m rolling in a wave of mixed emotions: anxiety, fear, frustration, hope, acceptance, gratitude, rinse, repeat. Some of us are luckier than most; others suffer unfairly. If you are one of the more fortunate ones, please help others when you can. Be generous when tipping on deliveries, donate to fundraisers, send money to those in need, be more patient, stay home. We are all adjusting. </p>



<p>But still, some things remain constant. For me, I still have regular Facetime calls with my family, funny text chains with my girlfriends, morning workouts, cozy nights of watching TV and cuddling on the couch with Matt, getting Chinese food for delivery, and my constant craving for dessert.  </p>



<p>But alas, we are running low on eggs. And we are running low on butter. (I&#8217;m not panicking!) I needed to bake something without eggs nor butter. I needed to make a vegan dessert. I mean, I&#8217;ve done it before: <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/carrot-cake-smoothie">Carrot Cake Smoothie</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Chocolate Coconut Avocado Pudding (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/healthy/chocolate-coconut-avocado-pudding" target="_blank">Chocolate Coconut Avocado Pudding</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Chocolate Coconut Avocado Pudding (opens in a new tab)" href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/healthy/coconut-chia-pudding" target="_blank">Coconut Chia Pudding</a> to name a few. I&#8217;ve just never made a vegan cake. </p>



<p>So I turned to the experts &#8211; or one expert in particular: Deb from <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Chocolate Coconut Avocado Pudding (opens in a new tab)" href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/10/chocolate-olive-oil-cake-more-book-tour/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>, one of my very favorite bloggers of all time. I followed her recipe for <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Chocolate Coconut Avocado Pudding (opens in a new tab)" href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/10/chocolate-olive-oil-cake-more-book-tour/" target="_blank">Chocolate Olive Oil Cake</a> and made a few tweaks: I used coffee instead of water, I added 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to the batter, and I baked the cake in an 8&#215;8 square pan. </p>



<p>The cake turned out beautifully: fragrant with olive oil, with a deep chocolate flavor, and a tender crumb. I wanted to top it with something sweet and decadent, so I made a quick (non-vegan) chocolate frosting. After all, we have plenty of chocolate and other kinds of dairy at home. I whipped up a velvety fudge-ganache hybrid. And then I showered the cake with my favorite sprinkles: confetti, pink sprinkles, red and white hearts, gold stars. </p>



<p>What I ended up with was something cheery and chocolatey. A bright spot in a seemingly eerie world. A perfect little slice for these imperfect times.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/olive-oil-chocolate-cake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14530" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/olive-oil-chocolate-cake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/olive-oil-chocolate-cake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/olive-oil-chocolate-cake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/olive-oil-chocolate-cake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/olive-oil-chocolate-cake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>


<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		


<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">Vegan Chocolate Cake with Non-Vegan Fudge Frosting</h2>
</span>


<div class="time">



</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"><h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">CAKE</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />3/4 cup sugar<br />3/4 cup dark brown sugar<br />1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pan<br />1 1/2 cups brewed coffee<br />1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar<br />1 tablespoon vanilla extract</p>
<h4 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 15px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; font-family: Rambla, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #a7a4a1; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">FUDGE FROSTING</h4>
<p style="font-size: 13px; margin: 5px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">8 oz milk chocolate<br />6 oz condensed milk<br />2 tablespoons cream<br />1 tablespoon sprinkles (optional)</p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><ol style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350 F.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and oil bottom and sides. Set aside.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugars. Mix well.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Add olive oil, coffee, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix together until smooth.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Pour batter in prepared pan.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Bake 28-32 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before starting frosting.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Make the fudge frosting. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and condensed milk. Heat for 30 seconds, stir, and heat again in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. I ended up heating everything for a total of 1 1/2 minutes.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Add in cream, and stir until smooth.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Spread frosting on top of cake and even out with a spatula. Decorate with sprinkles (if using). Serve at room temperature or cold.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
</div>



<div class="source"><p><span style="color: #a7a4a1; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">Cake recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake</span></p>
</div>

</div>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/vegan-chocolate-cake-with-non-vegan-fudge-frosting">Vegan Chocolate Cake (with Non-vegan Fudge Frosting)</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Orange Olive Oil Snack Cake</title>
		<link>http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bianca Garcia]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2020 15:09:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Bars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert for breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italian dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lemon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olive oil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olive oil cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[orange]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[orange pound cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snack cake]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/?p=14518</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>This Orange Olive Oil Snack Cake is simple. Made with only a few ingredients that you most likely already have at home: olive oil, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, eggs, oranges, milk, and vanilla.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake">Orange Olive Oil Snack Cake</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14519" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>



<p>Hello there. To those who are still here, reading and following, thank you. To those who are new, welcome.</p>



<p>These are scary times we live in right now. Everything feels surreal, and my heart breaks to hear the news of the devastation that COVID-19 has brought to our world. I am so worried for my family, friends, and community. But I&#8217;m also grateful. Grateful to be safe and healthy, to have a paycheck so I can afford to help others in need, to feel so much love. </p>



<span id="more-14518"></span>



<p>While it may seem trivial to post a cake recipe right now, I also know that having a sense of normalcy helps. Baking calms me down, and I can imagine other poeple may also find some happiness in it. Because while the world outside is scary and we don&#8217;t know what the future holds, we can still celebrate little sparks of joy indoors. </p>



<p>This Orange Olive Oil Snack Cake is simple. Made with only a few ingredients that you most likely already have at home: olive oil, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, eggs, oranges, milk, and vanilla. Lemon would work, too. Or grapefruit. The recipe is adapted from the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="New York Times (opens in a new tab)" href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019986-olive-oil-cake" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, but I tweaked it to be a little sweeter and less dense. </p>



<p>The resulting cake is super soft, moist, with a wonderfully crusty and sugary top. I cut the cake into bars, and keep it chilled in the fridge. Matt and I have been snacking on them and eating for breakfast. It&#8217;s light and springy, bright and sweet, exactly what I/we need right now. </p>



<p>I hope you are all doing well, keeping healthy, and being socially-responsible citizens. And I hope you are all enjoying a little sweetness in your lives.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="800" src="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/olive-oil-cake-600x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-14520" srcset="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/olive-oil-cake-600x800.jpeg 600w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/olive-oil-cake-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/olive-oil-cake-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/olive-oil-cake-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/olive-oil-cake-scaled.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure>


<div class="recipe hrecipe">
		

<div align="center"><div class="ribbon"><strong>Yield:</strong> <span class="yield">18 rectangles</span></div></div>

<span class="item">
<h2 class="fn">Orange Olive Oil Snack Cake</h2>
</span>


<div class="time">
<p><strong>Prep Time:</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT20M"></span>20 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Cook Time:</strong> <span class="cooktime"><span class="value-title" title="PT40M"></span>40 minutes</span></p>
<p><strong>Total Time:</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT1H"></span>1 hour</span></p>
</div>

<h3 id="ingredients"><span>Ingredients</span></h3>
<div class="ingredients"><p><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 cup extra virigin olive oil, plus more for pan</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for pan</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1/4 teaspoon baking soda</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup more for sprinkling</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">3 extra large eggs</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus freshly grated zest from 1 medium orange</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 1/4 cups whole milk or 2% milk</span><br style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span></p>
</div>


<h3 style="clear:left" id="directions"><span>Directions</span></h3>
<div class="instructions"><ol style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; color: #4f4943; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Preheat oven to 375 F.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Grease a 9x13-inch cake pan with olive oil, and line with parchment paper. Brush with olive oil again and flour, shaking out excess flour. Set aside</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs, and orange zest in a large bowl for an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, set mixer on high, and whisk until thick, about 6 minutes.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Slowly drizzle in olive oil and continue whisking on high until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Set mixer speed to low. Add milk, orange juice, and vanilla. Continue mixing for another minute.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Pour batter in greased cake pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar on top.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan then transfer to rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature or chilled.</li>
</ol>
</div>




</div>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/orange-olive-oil-snack-cake">Orange Olive Oil Snack Cake</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com">Confessions of a Chocoholic</a>.</p>
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