Bermuda Mudslide

A little bit of tropical paradise in your mouth. This is a very soft, moist, and at the same time crumbly cake because of the whole wheat pastry flour. The gooey pineapple rum sauce holds it all together like a Bermuda lime-washed roof in February. It is surprisingly good.



Pineapple Pound Cake with Pineapple Rum Goo

Whole wheat pastry flour - 2.5 cups
Butter - 1 sticks unsalted = at room temperature
Sour Cream - 1 cup
Eggs - 3 = separate yokes from egg white
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1.5 tsp

Crushed Pineapple - 1 cup = drained

1- Whip egg white until stiff on high. About 3 minutes. Set aside.
2- Mix flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
3- Whipped butter for one minute. Then add in the sugar mix well.
4- Add in the egg yokes and mix well. Then add the vanilla.
5- Alternately add in the flour mixture and the sour cream and mix well.
6- Add in pineapple and rum. Also mix well.
7- Finally, by hand and slowly fold in the egg white. Do not over-mix
8- Pour the batter into a buttered bundt pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 deg F. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes clean and the edge and slightly golden brown.



Pineapple Rum Goo
Cream Cheese - 4oz = 0.5 package = room temperature
Butter - 1/4 stick = room temperature
Powder Sugar - 3 tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Salt - pinch

Crushed Pinapple - 1 cup drained
Bermuda Gold Liqueur - 2 tbsp. Add more to taste. More is probably better. If you want strong rum taste, switch to real rum.

1- Beat cream cheese and butter on high until well mixed.
2- Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until it's nice and fluffy.
3- Mix in pineapple and rum. Serve with cake.
4- Garnish with pineapple chunks if you have it.

N.B. I found the canned pineapple not having too much flavor. I would like to try some frozen or fresh pineapple if it's in season next time.

Lemon Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Walnut Cake:

Flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup = 1 stick = room temperature
Eggs - 2 = room temperature
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Lemon zest - 1 tbsp
Walnut - 1/2 cup = chopped




1- Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl
2- Whipped butter and sugar on high for 2 minutes, then on medium until well mixed.
3- Add one egg at a time and mix well into the butter 'mousse'.
4- Add into flour and baking soda. Mix well.
5 - Fold in lemon zest and walnuts.
6- Bake in a pre-heated 350 deg F oven until the edge is slightly brown and a tooth pick comes clean when inserted.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cream Cheese - 8 oz = 1 package = room temperature
Butter - 1/2 stick = room temperature
Powder Sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Salt - pinch




1- Beat cream cheese and butter on high until well mixed.
2- Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until it's nice and fluffy.
3- Use immediately. Or keep in the refrigerator until needed. Best served at room temperature.


There you have it!!

N.B. It is also very good to have 2 tbsp of Matcha in place of lemon zest and walnuts.

Terry's Chocolate Orange Shortbread

A special Valentine treat. This is a recipe I nicked from my coconspirator Kristen Couse of Cakehouse. Instead of espresso, I turned it into a Terry's Chocolate Orange shortbread. I use whole wheat flour to lower the Glycemic Index and my guilt of using 2 sticks of butter.

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The Dish
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Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Butter - 2 sticks unsalted = at room temperature
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Vanilla - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Orange zest - 1 tbsp

Baking chocolate - 6 oz



1- Mix butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
2- Add vanilla, salt, orange zest and flour until all the ingredients are well combined.
3- Make 2 balls out of the dough. Put them in plastic wrap and chill in refridgerator for 2 hours.
4- Cut the dough into 12 wedges for each dough ball. You will have 24 wedges all together.
5- Prick some holes on the dough. Place them at least 1" apart on an un-greased baking plate.
6 - Bake the wedges on low (300 deg F) for about 18 minutes or until the edges are pale golden brown.
7- While the shortbread are cooling. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
8 - Shmear half of the shortbread with the melted chocolate or decorate it as you like it.



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The Ceramic
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The plate is a creation of mine. It's called "Love Isn't". It is inspired by a poem read by a friend, Ant Phillips, at my wedding.
You can read the poem here.

Spicy Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower

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The Dish
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Spicy Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower


Cavatappi Pasta (long spirals) - 1 box = 16 oz
Onion -1 = Chopped
Garlic - 3 gloves = Finely chopped
Cauliflower - 1 whole = Cut into small pieces
Buffalo Wing Hot Sauce New York Cheddar Cheese - 8 oz = shredded
Sharp Cheddar Cheese - 8 oz = shredded
Parmigiana cheese - 4 tbsp = grated
Milk - 1 to 1.5 cup
Whole wheat flour - 3 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp

1- Boil pasta in hot salted boiling water for 6 minutes and drain (2 minutes under suggested cooking time)
2- In a pan, sweat onion and garlic in butter for few minutes
3- Add in chopped cauliflower and stir fried for a few minutes. Season with a pinch of salt.
4- Add milk and flour to make a saucy cauliflower mix.
5- Fold in pasta and 2 cheddar cheeses.
6- Transfer to a shallow pan, sprinkle parmigiana cheese and bake to golden brown in 400 deg oven. About 18 minutes.
7- Serve 6 hungry persons.

P.S. I have collected 3 recipes: Macaroni and cheese with Cauliflower from Real Simple Mag, Spicy Macaroni And Cheese from Epicurious.com, and a recipe from Christine's mum. I read all 3 and put them away, and this is what I came up with.

Masago and Sweet Seaweed Salad

This is a quick 'Asian Confusion' salad that I really like. It's very easy and it can be made into a fancy salad if you add sashimi to it. Or you can make it more Asian-confused by wrapping inside a Vietnamese Summer Roll with shrimps.



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The Dish
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Romaine Lettuce - 2 small heart - cut into 2" pieces
Masago Caviar - 3 tbps
Japanese Seasoned Seaweed - 3 tbps
Store bought Miso Dressing - to taste

1-- Tossed salad dressing with lettuce.
2- Sprinkle Masago and Seaweed on top of salad and there you have it.
3 - Serve 4

Thanks to Michelle who gave me the recipe at Christmas.

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The Ceramic
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Kim Westad Hand Thrown Porcelain



I met Kim at the BUST Holiday 08 show. I have much respect to anybody who put lots of slip dots on the wares and make them into nice designs. The picture does not do the nice tactile quality justice. I especially love the surprise details inside the bowl. Her shop at etsy if you want to see more of her work.