The Best (Buttermilk) Birthday Cake You'll Ever Have

What do you like to eat on your birthday? When we were little, my sister and I always begged for pumpkin pie (of all things) for our January birthday. But as an adult, I see the beauty of a classic cake with tall candles. Well, Nicole from Making It Lovely has agreed to share her recipe for the gooiest, richest buttermilk birthday cake...

The Best Birthday Cake You'll Ever Have
By Nicole of Making It Lovely

I’ve never been a big fan of cake. Cheesecake, yes, but that’s technically a pie. I have two little kids who get very excited about birthday parties, though, and a traditional cake is highly anticipated (preferably something with at least two layers and heaps of frosting, with bonus points awarded for sprinkles on top). So I set about finding the best recipe, and I figured out the secret ingredient to a birthday cake that even I would enjoy: buttermilk. It’s like a simple yellow cake, but much tastier!

Recipe: Buttermilk Birthday Cake

You'll need:
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Grease two 8" round cake pans, and line them with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Measure out the buttermilk and add the vanilla to it, then set that aside, too.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add a little of the flour mixture and combine well, then do the same with a little of the vanilla-buttermilk. Keep alternating as you add more, blending well each time. Pour the finished batter into two cake pans and bake for 30 minutes.

The layers are done when the cake begins to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans, and let cool completely before frosting. The beauty of this cake is that it takes to any frosting, so choose your favorite!

The Best Coffee Cake You'll Ever Have

How insanely delicious does this coffee cake look?! Having a piece of coffee cake with a strong cup of coffee is one of life's simple pleasures. Wouldn't you love to whip one up on a lazy Saturday morning? Sarah and Dulcie from Two Tarts have agreed to reveal their killer coffee cake recipe with a surprising ingredient...

The Best Coffee Cake You'll Ever Have
By Sarah Welle and Dulcie Wilcox of Two Tarts—and founders of the new Colorado Crafted, an online shop of gift boxes of hard-to-find artisan foods in Colorado.

How lovely it is to live in a world where it is perfectly acceptable to eat cake first thing in the morning. We are not sure how or when a cake topped with streusel became breakfast fare, but we are not here to argue. Rather, we are here to introduce you to our new favorite coffee cake—dotted with raspberries and scented of almonds —with the hopes that you will continue this tradition of cake for breakfast.

Many coffee cakes are made with things we don't often have on hand, such as sour cream or buttermilk, but this coffeecake is made with kitchen staples—butter, brown sugar, almonds, frozen berries. A splash of almond extract is our secret ingredient, and it complements the raspberries perfectly. We're all accustomed to the taste of vanilla extract in our baked goods, so swapping in almond extract adds a new level of flavor that people can't quite put their finger on. They just know they like it!

Recipe: Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake
Adapted from Joy of Cooking

You'll need:
For the streusel topping:
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp. butter

For the cake:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

To make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine almonds, brown sugar and 3 tablespoons butter. Using your fingers, work the butter into the sugar and almonds until blended.

To make the cake: Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the 5 tablespoons of butter. Using either your fingers, a pastry blender or two knives, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Don't allow the butter to melt or form a blended paste with the flour.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and almond extract. Pour over the flour mixture, and stir until just barely combined. Add the frozen berries, and fold in until just mixed through.

Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with the streusel topping, distributing evenly. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for ten minutes.

The Best Pizza You'll Ever Have

What's your favorite pizza place in NYC? After living here for eleven years, I can definitely say that the best pizza I've had is at Co. in Chelsea. Have you ever been there? Co.'s owner, Jim Lahey, is a bread-making genius ("the man can do wonders with flour and water," says the New York Times); since New York pizza is known for its thin crust, the danger is that it can taste as dry as cardboard, but Lahey has a way of making his pizzas pillowy and chewy in just the right way. He also adds bold toppings—like, sauerkraut, arugula, leeks, pecorino—that elevate his pizzas from kids-birthday-party catering to grown-up fare. Here's a recipe that will blow your mind...

he Best Pizza You'll Ever Have
By Jim Lahey, owner of Co. and author of My Pizza: The Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home

In Italian, stracciatella means shreds. As a cheese, it’s a soft form of mozzarella that melts very quickly, becoming molten almost instantly. In Italy it’s often used in soups. With pizza, you’ll find that stracciatella placed on the hot pie just of the oven turns the pizza into a masterpiece that looks like you slaved and worried over it—when in fact you surely didn’t. It’s quick and easy—and in my restaurant it is ordered so often I sometimes think it’s all the guys in the back are cooking.

Stracciatella is not in every cheese store, even many of those with an especially broad selection. I buy ours from Buon Italia in New York City. It’s worth ordering and waiting for.

Recipe: Stracciatella Pie
Makes one 10- to 12-inch pizza

You'll need:
1 ball of Pizza Dough, shaped and waiting on a floured peel (here's the recipe for easy, no-knead pizza dough...but you can sneak and get frozen dough at Trader Joe's!)
1/4 cup basic tomato sauce (recipe below, if you'd like to make it from scratch)
Generous pinch of fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 ounces stracciatella cheese
About 3/4 ounce arugula
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Put the pizza stone on a rack in a gas oven about 8 inches from the broiler. Preheat the oven on bake at 500°F for 30 minutes. Switch to broil for 10 minutes.

With the dough on the peel, spoon the tomato sauce over the surface and spread it evenly, leaving about an inch of the rim untouched. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. With quick, jerking motions, slide the pie onto the stone. Broil for 3 minutes under gas, until the top is bubbling and the crust is nicely charred but not burnt. Using the peel, transfer the pizza to a tray or serving platter. Distribute the cheese in clumps over the surface of the pie; it will melt and spread immediately. Cover it with the arugula and drizzle with oil. Slice and serve.

Recipe: Basic Tomato Sauce
(if you'd like to make it from scratch)

You'll need:
1 1/2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes or 1 28-ounce can peeled Italian plum tomatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

If using fresh tomatoes, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a 5- or 6-quart pot.

Cut away the dry stem area of the tomatoes, leaving the core intact. Place 2 or 3 tomatoes at a time in the boiling water for 5 to 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and put on a rack to cool. Peel the tomatoes with a pairing knife.

Whether using fresh or canned, cut each tomato into several wedges and run them through a food mill over a medium bowl to create a pulp (not a fine puree; you want to retain some texture). If you don't have a food mill, just squish them with your hands—it's messy but fun.

Stir in the olive oil and salt. The sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

The Best Guacamole You'll Ever Have

What do you serve when you have friends over? We always set out a cheese plate, but after a while, it feels a little ho hum. Well, five years ago, my guy friend threw a party. Halfway through, he busted out an incredible guacamole with pomegranate seeds. I still haven't forgotten it. Everyone was going crazy for it! So, today, Kate from Katie at the Kitchen Door agreed to share her favorite guacamole recipe, which will be sure to impress all your guests...

The Best Guacamole You'll Ever Have
By Katie Morris of Katie at the Kitchen Door

I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that guacamole was one of the world's best-loved recipes. It ticks off all the right boxes—super easy to make, a total crowd-pleaser, and a filling but relatively guilt-free snack, thanks to the avocado's recent re-branding as a superfood. After mac n' cheese and Jungle Juice, it's probably one of the first things most college students learn to make. So do you really need a recipe for it? Well, yes and no. At its simplest, guacamole is just a mixture of mashed avocados and salt, in which case you probably don't need to put much thought into it. But the difference between a great batch and a mediocre batch of guacamole can be vast, so I think it's worth taking a little extra care with your recipe.

Serious Eats did a great (and thorough) article on the science of guacamole last year, which explained in detail how to pick out ripe avocados, how to keep cut avocados from browning (hint: you can't, really), and what elements make a great batch of guacamole. For me, the biggest takeaways were to mash your aromatics before mixing with the avocado, and to make sure you have a good mixture of chunky and smooth for the perfect dip. I've since incorporated these techniques into all my guacamole experiments, the base of which is always the same—avocados, half of which are mashed and half of which are coarsely chopped; a paste of white onion, serrano chile and fresh garlic, pounded in a mortar and pestle; and a sprinkle of coarse-grained salt to finish. After I've got the base, I dress it up depending on the occasion, but the combination I turn to most frequently is the one below: mango and pomegranate.

The juicy crunch of the pomegranate and the sweet and smooth mangoes are the perfect contrast to the slightly spicy avocado base, and the bright colors really dress up the classic dip. It's my go-to dish for any casual get-together...or for a cozy Saturday afternoon at home!

Recipe: Mango-Pomegranate Guacamole
Adapted from Gourmet
Serves 8-12

1 medium white onion, peeled and finely diced
2 serrano chiles, stems removed, sliced into thin rings (remove seeds if you're sensitive to heat!)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
4 ripe avocados
3/4 cup small cubes fresh or frozen mango
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1 tsp. coarse salt (or more to taste)

What to do:

Place the diced onion, serrano chiles, and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Pound to flatten the onion, garlic, and chiles and release their juices. Add the chopped cilantro and pound to combine with the other aromatics. You should have a slightly chunky paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, give all the ingredients a few pulses in a food processor, or place in a sealed plastic bag and pound with a rolling pin.

Slice the avocados in half around the pit, remove the pit, and scrape the flesh out. Place the flesh from 2 of the avocados in a mortar and pestle and pound until completely smooth. Cut the remaining 2 avocados into chunks about 1/2 an inch big. In a large bowl, use a spoon to mix together the onion paste with both the smooth and chunky avocado.

Stir in the mango cubes, pomegranate seeds, and salt. Taste the guacamole and add more salt if necessary.