lavender lemonade

 

what a week it has been! i am officially no longer a city girl & have left toronto. moving is so exhausting, couldn't be happier that it is over with. i have quickly settled in back home, unpacked a lot of boxes, took over the den with a big table of props & have worked out my new shooting area. next up is painting the room! since being home this week, i have had just about every meal outside. aside from my mom being obsessed with eating outdoors, they just redid the deck this month & can't get enough of it. i think this lavender lemonade is the perfect drink to be sipping on the new patio with the sunshine beaming. this lemonade can easily be transformed into an adult cocktail if you are hosting a barbecue, bonfire or pool party. just add one ounce of vodka per serving. cheers! xo

ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon dried lavender (or 2-3 tablespoons fresh)
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar (i used obelo panela sugar)
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup ice water
  • sliced lemon, for garnishing

directions

  • in a sauce pot over medium heat add the lavender, raw sugar & hot water.
  • continuously stir until the sugar has fully dissolved & remove from heat.
  • let the lavender steep for 5-10 minutes, depending on how strong of a flavour you want. strain mixture & let cool completely to room temperature.
  • in a pitcher filled with ice add the fresh lemon juice, ice water & lavender syrup. stir until evenly combined.

NOTE: if you want the classic yellow colour of lemonade, you can also use regular white sugar!

like what you see? get it here. bowls | glasses | copper pot | hot plate | linen

ice cream float cake

 

what a crazy busy week it has been over here! we're in the midst of moving from toronto to niagara & i am surrounded by boxes + more boxes. my sister came down from alberta, so we celebrated her 28th birthday right before she left for a destination wedding in mexico. one of my best friends also got married this week, i was one of the bridesmaids & i made the wedding cake!!! it was my first wedding cake EVER & also my first time making a multi-layer cake. in case you missed it over on snap chat you can see the cake here. while i was extremely nervous over it (even that may be an understatement), i was so happy with the results.. maybe this will be the start of many more wedding cakes?!? cake aside, the wedding was perfect. we made the most of a cold may day, ate a ton of delicious italian food & in the end i caught the bouquet (uhhh ohhh). anyways, this cola cake is the cake i made for my sister's birthday! she is the one who introduced me to a cola cake, but the one she makes is not meant to be a layered cake. it is a gooey chocolate cola cake that is glazed in butter & cola! i decided to alter it a bit so i could turn it into the perfect birthday cake. i called this an ice cream float cake because the layers represent the cola & the vanilla frosting represents the ice cream ¯_(ツ)_/¯. back to packing, wish me luck!

ingredients

for the cola cake

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup cola (can substitute root beer)
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs

for the vanilla buttercream:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

for the cola cake

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease & flour two 8-inch round cake pans or three 6-inch round cake pans.
  • in a large mixing bowl sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda & cinnamon. stir.
  • in a saucepot over medium heat add the butter, oil, cocoa powder, cola & whole milk. constantly stirring, bring to a boil & remove from heat.
  • add cola mixture to dry ingredients & stir until just combined. add the vanilla & eggs, mix until a smooth batter is formed.
  • evenly distribute amongst cake pans & bake until cake bounces back to touch, about 20-25 minutes.
  • let cool completely before flipping or frosting.

for the vanilla buttercream

  • in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment add the butter, sugar & vanilla. beat until light & fluffy, about 8 minutes.
  • frost cake as desired & serve.

like what you see? get it here. mosser glass cake stand | pottery bowls | plate

zucchini + lemon glaze cake

 

i hope everyone had a lovely mother's day weekend! my mom came up to the city & we made her a huge brunch which included farm eggs, bacon, home fries, blueberry pancakes & coffee galore. i think it is safe to say we spoiled her. for dessert & for a little snack on the drive home, i made one of her favourite cakes... zucchini cake! between her & my aunt, i have consumed a LOT of zucchini cake in my days. sometimes it takes a little bit of convincing to get people to try a cake full of a vegetables, but it is the most flavourful & moist cake there is. this recipe features king arthur flour's white whole wheat flour. it is so easy to bake with as it is much milder in texture, colour & flavour than regular whole wheat flour. regular whole wheat flour can be a little too overpowering when baking with. another interesting feature of the white whole wheat flour is that it is identity-preserved, this means it is traceable from field to flour & raised with sustainable farming practices. i used half white whole wheat flour & half all-purpose flour in this recipe, my family didn't even notice the difference.

ingredients

for the cake:

for the glaze:

  • 1 cups glazing sugar (or powdered sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons heavy cream

directions

for the cake

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease a large bundt pan.
  • in a large mixing bowl add the raw sugar, oil, eggs & vanilla. stir until eggs are pale yellow in colour.
  • add in the grated zucchini & pineapple. mix until well combined.
  • in a separate bowl, sift both flours, baking soda, salt & cinnamon.
  • add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & mix until just combined.
  • pour into the bundt pan & bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
  • let cool completely before flipping & glazing.

for the glaze

  • in a mixing bowl, add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice & cream. stir until a smooth glaze is formed. if glaze looks runny, add more sugar. if glaze looks too thick, add more cream.
  • pour over bundt cake & serve.