Baking time is mine.
Homemade scones served with fresh cream and jam
A small batch of homemade scones.
Classic cream scones and blueberry scones, baked until golden and served warm. I was out of clotted cream, so I used the cream I had left to make a simple fresh cream instead.
A little jam on the side, and that was all they needed.
Small chocolate cakes with a little extra shine
Mini chocolate cakes at home.
When it comes to the desserts my kids like most, the word chocolate is almost always in the name.
Sometimes even a cupcake feels a little too much, and that is when a mini size feels just right.
Because the cakes were small, I added a little chocolate coating on top and finished them with a few tiny pieces of gold leaf. Just a small touch, but it made them feel more special on the table.
The kids were happy with the chocolate, and because of them, I think I have started liking chocolate a little more too.
Small chocolate cakes, made at home for the people who always make dessert feel worth baking.
Now playing: Whisk & Rhythm (Groovy Baking Beat)
A few more small notes from home
A cake baked the night before lunch
Vanilla pound cake at home.
I baked this cake the night before because the next day was one of those rare lunch days when everyone in the family could sit together.
I wanted something simple to leave on the table, something we could each have one slice of after lunch.
There are many desserts my family likes, but vanilla pound cake felt just right for that day. It is quick to make, easy to share, and everyone is happy when it is on the table.
By the next day, the cake had settled, the lunch table was full, and one slice each felt like a nice way to finish the meal.
A simple vanilla pound cake, baked the night before and shared after lunch at home.
A few more small notes from home
A Small Cake Decorated by the Kids
Fourth of July cake at home.
Over the weekend, we decided to make a small Fourth of July cake with the kids.
I baked the cake sheet and made the cream, and the kids took care of the decorating.
The cake turned out a little uneven and a little bumpy, but to my eyes, it was cute and wonderful.
After dinner, we shared the little cake the kids had decorated.
There is always a happy smell around this time of year. I am not sure if it comes from the kids’ cake, or from the evening table we share together.
Maybe it is both.
Now playing: Totoro Seed Growing Dance
A few more small notes from home
Cake Pop Day at Home
Today, I made cake pops for the first time in a while because one of the kids asked for them.
I did not use a scoop or a mold, so each cake pop came out in a slightly different size.
But that has its own good side too.
Between a cake pop that is “a little bigger”
and one that is “a little smaller,”
I start thinking about things I probably do not need to think about.
Which size feels just right for now, whether this makes today’s dessert a little too much,
and other small things like that.
In front of cute cake pops, those “serious” thoughts start to feel kind of cute too.
Thanks to my family, who always eats my baking happily, I keep making these imperfect little things at home.
Today, the smell of cake pops fills the house again.
Now playing: Sprinkle Time (Cute Outro Jam)
A few more small notes from home
Blueberry muffin at home.
I wanted blueberry muffins, so I baked them with plenty of almond flour crumb topping.
I like adding butter while the muffin is still warm.
It tastes best with a strong latte.
Most people like muffins that are soft and moist,
but for fruit muffins, I like them baked a little longer.
A warm blueberry muffin, butter, and a strong latte.
This combination was pretty satisfying.
Now playing: Blueberry Muffins
A few more small notes from home
Homemade Summer Fruit Pies
I made small fruit pies with blueberries and cherries,
and tried adding little cherry shaped pieces of dough on top.
They were not perfect, but they looked sweeter on the table than I expected.
One small fruit pie, a little powdered sugar, and another summer baking note saved from home.
A few more small notes from home
Milk and Cookie with Cookie Monster
Good with coffee, but some cookies feel even better with fresh milk.
Chocolate chip cookies, and maybe Oreos too.
Somehow today, I wanted a giant chocolate chip cookie with a glass of cold milk.
So I bake cookies again today.
A little bigger than usual, a giant chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk, with Cookie Monster too.
Now playing: Chocolate Chip Cookies
A few more small notes from home
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies with Greek Yogurt and Maple Syrup
Homemade snickerdoodles with almond flour.
I would love to eat healthy all the time, but small treats are hard to give up.
Cookies and cakes are not everyday food, but sometimes they are one of the small joys at home.
So I keep wondering if I can make them just a little better, without making them taste too much like healthy baking.
The kids do not really like cookies or cakes that feel too different from the original,
so I try changing small parts of the recipe instead.
For these homemade snickerdoodles, I replaced a little of the flour with almond flour,
used a little less sugar, and added Greek yogurt and maple syrup to the dough.
Soft in the center, rolled in cinnamon sugar, with a slightly different texture from the usual snickerdoodles.
This version worked, so this recipe is saved.
A few more small notes from home
Coffee cake made with little things left from other baking days
Sometimes after baking, there are small things left in the kitchen. A little crumb, a bit of topping, or dough made a little more than I needed. I do not always want to throw them away, so I save them and use them for another bake.
Today, I used mocha topping left from Korean-style mocha bread. I broke the topping into small pieces and used it like a crumb topping over two small coffee cakes.
Before baking, the tops were covered with mocha crumbs. But once the cakes went into the oven, the topping melted into the batter. It did not stay crisp on top like a classic crumb cake, but the surface baked darker and softer.
It was not made from the original recipe, and the shape was not perfect. Still, it used what was left from another baking day, and the taste was better than I expected.
A small home baking note with leftover mocha topping, coffee cake, and coffee time at home.
A few more small notes from home
