It's funny how fast life can sneak up on you and, suddenly, you find three months have passed without you even realizing it. Over the past couple of days, I've finally found the time to work on some new recipes- flavor ideas I've been sitting on for about the past 6 months. What can I say? Sometimes it's just hard to find that spare hour or two in the day to devote completely to baking something new.

I've been working most recently on a black chocolate banana walnut spice cake recipe. If it sounds complicated, it is, but, I do love a challenge. This time last year, I was working on a new recipe as well- a Banana Foster's cupcake. I've switched back and forth between different decorations since then but I think I've finally settled on a design I'm happy with. As with any artform, I guess baking is always a work in progess.

Just a casual Saturday afternoon in the Pettway 

and Mitchell household.

Mmmmm, delicious.

Happy 2013, readers! Black Cat Bakery is back after taking a brief hiatus. Since Spring of 2012, I've started experimenting with all sorts of new recipes, most of which are vegan and a few that are raw. Adopting a much more adventuresome approach to cooking and baking has allowed me to experience more than my fair share of wonderful and terrifyingly unforgettable moments.

Around August of last year, I tried my first raw cheesecake. I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had heard about creating a vegan cheesecake out of cashews but I had never attempted to make one. My boyfriend asked for a raw cheesecake for his birthday, so, begrudgingly, I obliged. I set about the process of finding a good recipe and researching more into that particular technique. As it turned out, my partner has two good friends who run a fabulous raw vegan catering business and video blog- Vegan Shortcake. One of their posts tackled a "raw vegan blackberry cheesecake." I vigilantly watched the episode and I took notes, just in case I got confused. As I soon came to realize, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be to create a cheesecake from nuts and it was actually considerably less complicated to make than a non-vegan cheesecake. Each bite of the cheesecake was decadently smooth; it melted in my mouth and the flavor-packed crunch of the crust just solidified my opinion on the matter- I am a huge fan of raw cheesecakes.

Since making that first cheesecake, I've been working on a recipe of my own- a Strawberry, Pomegranate cheesecake. With it's ruby red color and seasonally appropriate fruit, it's the perfect treat for the coming snowy nights of winter.

(Inspired by Vegan Shortcake)

Crust-
1 cup raw Almonds
1/2 cup Freeze-dried pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp Cocoa powder
1/2 cup shredded Coconut
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
3-4 oz. Prune paste*
pinch of Salt

Filling-
3 cups raw Cashews, soaked*
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp Pomegranate concentrate
8 medium Strawberries
1/2 cup Agave nectar

 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp Pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup Almond milk
1 1/4 tsp Coconut extract
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 cup Coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp organic Red food coloring

Begin by lightly coating the bottom of a 9" springform pan with coconut oil or cooking spray.

Coarsely chop the almonds and chocolate chips together in a food processor. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add the cocoa powder, pomegranate seeds, shredded coconut, salt and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly.

*To make the prune paste, process the prunes together with several tablespoons of water. It should be sticky and slightly watery.

Stir the prunes paste into the nut mixture. The crust will be ready to use when you squeeze it in your hands and it holds it's shape. Press the mixture down into the bottom of the springform pan.

Using a large blender or sturdy immersion blender, begin the filling by chopping up the drained cashews, milk, agave, concentrate and molasses.

*Prepare the cashews ahead of time by covering them completely with water and allowing them to soak. Cover them and refrigerate them for a minimum of 5 hours. 

Add in the extracts, strawberries and red food coloring. Blend for 5-10 minutes. You want the filling to be silky smooth. If you can feel tiny bits of nuts with your fingers, continue blending. Once you've reached the right consistency, slowly pour in the coconut oil. Mix thoroughly.

Pour the pomegranate filling into the springform pan. Smooth out the top with a spatula. Tap it several times down on the counter to allow any air bubbles to rise to the top. Smooth the top over once more. Cover the pan and let it cool for a minimum of 5 hours.

It's a bright, beautiful Spring day, here in good old Virginia. Birds are chirping, kids are out playing and a strong but reassuring breeze whips around the neighborhood as folks swing away on their porches, reminiscing about Easters long since past.

With my sister coming into town for the holiday weekend, I thought I would make her a special treat.

I was having a conversation recently with said sister and a friend about ganache and really, how simple and versatile it can be. I mentioned a wonderful recipe I have for Grand Marnier truffles and instantly, my sister's attention was piqued- she loves French liqueur. "How come I've never had any of these truffles?" she asked. I didn't really have an answer. Luck of the draw, I guess. As a surprise, I decided to make her some of the "elusive" Grand Marnier truffles as well as some Amaretto truffles.

Truffles are traditionally made from ganache. They're flavored with liqueurs, stuffed with caramel, fruit, cream, etc. They can be rolled in cocoa powder, nuts, shaved coconut or even dipped in chocolate. Truffles tend to be quite small, no more than an inch or so wide since they are so terribly rich. They're great for parties or even a special night at home with your significant other. Below, is my recipe for Amaretto truffles. The subtle fruitiness of the almond liqueur, paired with the satiny smoothness of the ganache makes these little balls of chocolate so much more decadent than a giant piece of chocolate cake. Make sure to pace yourself. Enjoy.

Amaretto Truffles

1/3 cup Dark Chocolate chips
1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
1/3 cup Whipping Cream (or coconut cream)
2-3 tsp Disaronno (or any Almond liqueur)
Toasted sliced almonds

Begin by measuring out the chocolate chips. Place them in a medium-sized, heat-resistant bowl.

Heat the whipping cream (or coconut cream if you're vegan) in the microwave until it's scalding hot- about 1.25- 1.5 min (if you are using coconut cream, make sure to pour some of it out since it will get thinner when it's heated). Pour the hot milk over the chocolate chips. Let it sit for a couple minutes. Using a whisk, whip together the chocolate. It should be satiny smooth. If bits of the chocolate still haven't melted after a couple minutes, pop it back into the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

At this point, add in the liqueur. Depending on how boozy you want it, add up to 3 tsp. I prefer a much more subtle taste, so, I generally just use 2 tsp. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 2-3 hours.

While the chocolate is cooling, toast and roughly chop up the almonds.

Once the chocolate is set, use a melon baller to scoop out uniform truffles. Roll them in the palm of your hand and then throw them into the bowl of nuts. Coat them completely.

Refrigerate once done. Makes about 20.

(v) Cupcakes for a dear friend.

 <3 you Jeremy.

Vegan cupcakes from the "Last Friday" event 

at Lamplighter Roasting Company.

Spring is here- I can feel it. That means tons of beautiful, sunny days with warm breezes, long, uninterrupted, afternoon naps and plenty of opportunities to just hang out and catch up with old friends are well ahead of us. However, that also means tons of gloomy, rain-soaked afternoons are ahead of us as well. Today was one of those gray, disagreeable-looking days.

What do you do when you can't/don't feel like going outside on your day off? You bake! Or, at least that's what we do in the Adams household. I've been baking a lot of cake recently so, today, I thought I would shake things up and bake some of my favorite Spring cookies- Alfajores. Alfajores are traditionally from Spain but all sorts of variations exist, spanning all across the globe. My recipe most closely mirrors the peruvian version. Typically two shortbread cookies are sandwiched between a thick Dulce de Leche filling and the tops are sprinkled with powdered sugar. Of course, I've tweaked the recipe a bit. I've swapped out the lime zest/juice in the cookie for lemon zest/juice and instead of decorating the tops with powdered sugar, I've simply used a chocolate drizzle.

These gooey sweet treats are great for parties (easy to make ahead, portable & portion-controlled) or even for a simple night at home. The lemon zest adds just the perfect amount of tartness to the cookies. I find, with every bite I take of a cookie, that little bit of zest brings a smile to my face. There's nothing quite like celebrating the little things on your day off.

Alfajores
(Adpated from Relish Magazine)

10 Tbsp room-temp unsalted Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Salt
3 room-temp Eggs
1 Tbsp Pisco or Cognac (optional)
2 tsp Lemon zest
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 1/2 cups Cornstarch
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder

Filling-
14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Beat the butter and sugar together in a small bowl. They should be light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt. Beat once again. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until well-incorporated. Stir in the cognac, lemon rind and lemon juice.

Sift the cornstarch, flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Scrape the butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Whip until smooth. (Tip- if you use extra-large eggs you will have to add a little more flour to the dough, otherwise, it will be too sticky.) Cover the dough and let it firm up in the fridge- about an hour.

When the dough is cooled, divide it into thirds. Place the 2 other portions back into the fridge. Roll the remaining dough out on a floured surface to about an 1/8 of an inch thickness (actually, the thicker, the better). Use a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut out 18 circles. (Tip- if you don't get 18 circles, just gather together the scraps, mush them together and roll the dough out again.) Transfer the circles to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 325 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies start to brown on the edges.

When the cookies are cooling, begin the filling. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk into an 8 inch baking dish. Cover the top with aluminum foil. Place the baking dish into a larger dish and fill the outer dish halfway with boiling water. Bake at 425 degrees for 1.5 hours. (Tip- make sure to check your water level every half hour. Refill with more boiling water if it gets too low.)

Take the 8 in dish out of the water, remove the top and stir the filling until it's smooth. It should be a nice caramel color. Let sit 15 minutes.

To assemble- spread about 2 Tbsp of filling on half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, to create a sandwich. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate or caramel sauce.