“Lately I’ve been experimenting with sourdough bread again – the summer heat makes the fermentation so much easier! I also tried baking a batch of lemon blueberry muffins last weekend, and they turned out so soft and refreshing. What about you all – sticking to classics or trying out new recipes this month?”
I want to make these for my kiddo!
Does anyone know if Trader Joe’s cookie butter is a suitable substitute for Biscoff? Or is it worth it to seek out the real deal?
I’ve been told you can take a product to the managers’ station and ask to sample it, though I’ve never tried. I guess it’s easier than bringing it back.
“I’ve been told you can take a product to the managers’ station and ask to sample it, though I’ve never tried. I guess it’s easier than bringing it back.”
Really? I did not know that – you’d think the manager would be doing nothing but handling sampling all day long!
1 Like
The plum torte (half recipe). Reached a milestone by making this with some of our first-ever-harvested garden-grown plums. I can die easy, now. 
17 Likes
I was told that if they open it, they’ll take it to the sampling station to finish it.
1 Like
I hesitate to return an item just because it’s not to my taste. My neighbor isn’t as fussy as I am and she’ll take the rest of anything I don’t want.
2 Likes
I am pretty sure that the Trader Joe’s version is margarine-based while the Biscoff version is butter-based. I can tell a difference between the two and I prefer the Biscoff brand. I can get it at my local supermarket or Whole Foods.
2 Likes
I made the Ottolenghi Blueberry, Lemon, and Almond cake for the 9th year in a row. This is one of the few things that I bake that everyone in my household absolutely loves! It was first published in the New York Times, but you can also find it in his book. Simple.
Each year I tweak it a little bit. I have gradually reduced the butter each year, and I’m down to 128 g with no ill effect. I use 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and rub it into the sugar. I tossed the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients. The cookbook version does not include baking powder, but I like it in the cake, so I use 1.25 teaspoons. The cookbook version uses an 8.5×4.5 pan which I use. I add all the blueberries at once. The cookbook version has you bake at 400° and I need to cover the pan halfway through the 50 min cooking time - it’s perfectly baked, but I may try the lower temperature of 375 that’s in the online recipe
13 Likes
I still believe that the lack of baking powder in the North American edition is an error of conversion and omission. The NYT recipe calls for AP flour + baking powder, and the recipe in the UK edition of Simple calls for self-raising flour, but the NA Simple recipe calls for AP, not self-rising or AP + baking powder.
2 Likes
I agree! I have made it without baking powder but prefer the cake with it
1 Like
My turn for Yossy’s lemon zucchini cake. I made a half recipe in a 5-cup bundt. The only tweak I made to the batter was to whisk all the dry ingredients together (excluding sugar for the oleo saccharum) and adding them in one stroke. Otherwise, as per the recipe. Mine baked for 50 minutes.
I thought this was nice, summery little cake. I agree with the sentiment that it’s not overly sweet, and I liked the thin glaze. I’ll be curious to see how it holds up. I’ve got it in a tin with the lid just slightly cracked. I’m thinking if sealed tightly the moisture in the un-wrung zucchini could be detrimental to the texture of the cake and the glaze. We’ll see.
In any case, it’s something seasonal I would make again, especially if serving the same day.
FWIW: I’m also a fan of NYT’s ginger-hazelnut zucchini cake (gift link here), and have DL’s lemon-zucchini-ginger cake on my radar.
13 Likes
GINGER HAZLENUT!!!
Wowza
2 Likes
First comment : “Holy god this was good.”
1 Like
I love this cake so much!
1 Like
@MunchkinRedux - My 2 loaves are in the oven now. Thanks for the recipe. I used 8 cups! of shredded raw frozen zucchini to get the 2 cups squeezed dry. Does that match your experience, or perhaps you always are starting from freshly shredded?
My plums are this size – how many would you say for a 9-inch pan? I think the NYT recipe uses small oval plums; these are a different sort. It looks like yours are quartered ?, which creates those pretty teardrop openings. (I have 10 plums available, and a 9-inch springform.)
1 Like
My turn for plum cake! I was out on the west coast visiting family and made the cake for a family BBQ. My aunt downsized her baking supplies when they moved into a condo last year so I had to use what I could find: a glass casserole that was slightly smaller than 9 inches… took an extra 15 to bake, but turned out well.
12 Likes
Looks like you used many plums, not much room in-between? I’m trying to figure this out, before I proceed in ignorance. 
