OMG, cakes!! Coconut Blueberry & Greentea Walnut

I halved this recipe and baked in a 9x5 loaf pan (400'F 23mn),
I was lazy and just used grapeseed oil instead of melted butter, and almond milk,
which resulted in the most heavenly soft, moist and delicate cake i've had in a while.
I ended up having cake for breakfast and lunch for 2 consecutive days.

I didn't halve the egg though, and found out when baking the second cake that i accidentally didn't halve the oil either. Hmmm, that's why it was so cakey... Anyway. It was the best thing i ate in a bit.

http://www.food52.com/recipes/204_moms_blueberrycoconut_muffins

The cake was so moist, i started to want more of it. But in a different version.
The texture reminded me of the Shilla H green tea white chocolate cake (ahhhhh heaven.. i miss that)

So a green tea cake it became. Same half-recipe w extra egg and oil, removing coconuts and blueberries, sprinking on top a scant 1/4C pecan bits, and swapping 1.5T flour for 1.5T green tea.
And, omg, it is just delicious. Delicious.....

A nutmeg-poppy seed version sounds good too. Should give it a try..

Note: I noticed that this recipe has almost the same ingredient ratios as this one, except i'm using muuuch less sugar and milk instead of buttermilk.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/05/raspberry-buttermilk-cake/

Dreaming about a cafe.

Ooof.

I thought the winter was almost over, but no, it's been flexing its muscles with a renewed vigor for the last few days.

A lingering cold is keeping me slightly drowzy most of the time, but luckily i can stay at home till today (the awesomeness of being a grad student with all classes on tue/thu!) drinking endless cups of tea and mostly dreaming about things like the sun, past travels, foods and recipes.

Also i read a lot. the Foundation Series*, the Economist, the New Yorker, TIME, and random articles online. I am a bit of an reading addict, and love knowing what the current state of affairs are about. I'm saving Foreign Affairs, which i find a tad scary, and W, which i can only read when i'm sans-guilt (i.e. has done a fair share of studying, don't feel behind, etc) which is adamently not how i feel now.

Anyway. Amongst all this dreaming and reading, I have decided, rather on a whim, that i should have a blog, to collect all recipes i tried as well as the places i've been to. Books too maybe.

Also- I want to start jotting notes about my dream cafe.
How it should be in terms of size, location, target audience,
the ambience i want to create,
what food and drink i would like to serve, etc etc.

I hope i will be able to open one in <15 years.

Let's dream.


* why only now did i get to read this? i am not too much into science fiction (loved the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy in book form (because Douglas Adams is just one of the most awesome writer ever- i ended up reading all his books and even loving Bach and reading P.G.Wodehouse as per his recommendations) and the recent Start Trek movie, and that's about it- but THIS! it resonates so much with what economics is trying to do, i like his so very intelligent writing style, and his attitude towards science and history. I may start treading the Robots series post-prelims..