Lucy Vanel is an American who lives in Lyon, France and is the blogger behind Lucy’s Kitchen Notebook.
Sweet or salty?
I spend a lot more time thinking about savory things than sweet things, that’s for sure. My sweet tooth is capricious — during short times that I think might be related to body chemistry, sweets are [...]

Please welcome Garrett McCord from the food blog Vanilla Garlic as he shares his carrot cake cupcake recipe. I swear these are the best carrot cake cupcakes I’ve ever eaten. ~Elise

I find that you can tell a lot about someone based on the type of carrot cake they make. I find that those who enjoy pineapple and coconut in their carrot cake are a bit more flamboyant and unpredictable than the average baker and, likely, have a tiki shirt in their closet. Those who prefer heavy amount of cloves and raisins are traditionalists; they have a penchant for nostalgia and reminiscing over their fragrant and fruity carrot cakes that encapsulate their childhood. Others prefer orange juice - modernizing the classics and stirring up cocktails to pair with them.

I like to see myself as inventive, strange, and maybe even quirky - my carrot cake is a carrot cupcake (I like to think I’m a wee bit adorable, too). Toasted walnuts add a certain bittersweet and earthy taste to the cupcakes. Cinnamon and a good dose of cardamom give it a faraway newness, which is only made more intriguing with the floral and citrusy finish from the orange zest. Dolloped with some cream cheese frosting, it’s a carrot cupcake that emulates old times from way back when with a bit of a contemporary twist. A funky cupcake that anyone’s personality can appreciate.

So then, what does your carrot (cup)cake say about you?

Continue reading “Carrot Cake Cupcakes” »

This coffeecake drifts through my very crowded mind whenever brunch is mentioned. That’s because it’s so delicious and so easy. It may also have something to do with the fact that people go gaga over it and beg me for the recipe.

Not all muffins have to be eaten straight from the oven, but both black molasses and pear ginger muffins taste best warm.

Four ingredients and seven minutes is all it takes to make this marshmallow-like whipped cream frosting from the Washington Post.

Photo: Artichoke Hearts And Andouille (Cookthink)
An awful-sounding British term for a food group known as “variety meats” in the U.S., people tend to divide on the subject of offal.

This unpretty cooking term is a crucial technique for ensuring that fried foods stay moist on the inside and don’t leave their crisp crust stuck to the pan.