Antoni in the Kitchen

I’m not gonna dance around this: most of my late teens and twenties were spent high. During my love affair with the ole devil’s lettuce, the munchies demanded as little prepping or cooking as humanly possible. Cue my peanut butter and Nutella balls. Two spoons, a cookie sheet and a freezer are all the equipment you need for these puppies. I can almost taste my youth whenever I make them. On the romantic side, this treat is also the marriage of two iconic spreads, crunchy peanut butter and Nutella. A topping of crushed pretzels or Daim bars brings it all home with an added layer of flavour and crunch.

Place 2 teaspoons of the Nutella in a regular teaspoon and 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter in another teaspoon.

Gently press the spoon of Nutella against the peanut butter and scoop the peanut butter onto the spoon with the Nutella, then scrape the Nutella–peanut butter mixture back onto the empty spoon. Repeat several times until you have a smooth, football-shaped combo of the two spreads (this is called a quenelle). Ideally the Nutella will cover the peanut butter (this is why you chill the peanut butter – chilling keeps the peanut butter stable while the room-temp Nutella swirls around it), but if it all swirls together, no matter. Drop your little football on the prepared baking tray and sprinkle about ¾ teaspoon of the crushed pretzels on top. Repeat to make a total of 24 balls.

Freeze the balls until the Nutella is set, about 1 hour. Eat straight from the freezer.

Tip

A commercial peanut butter like Skippy works best for these confections.

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

My loving Auntie Leslie’s staple dessert was wonderfully thin chocolate chip cookies chock-full of big old chunks of milk chocolate. They stayed perfectly chewy for days. Her recipe inspired this version, in which a blend of granulated and dark brown sugars lends a subtle caramel-toffee note. Serve the cookies warm or at room temperature with a tall glass of ice-cold milk.

300g good-quality milk chocolate, chopped into 5mm to 1cm (¼ to ½in) pieces

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and both sugars by hand until thoroughly blended, then whisk in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks. Cover the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes, or as long as overnight. (Chilling deepens the flavour and keeps the cookies from spreading too much when baked.) When ready to bake, if the dough was chilled overnight, let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes, or until it is soft enough to scoop.

Heat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas 3, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment.

Roll 2-tablespoon portions of dough into balls and place on the baking trays, spacing the balls 5cm (2in) apart. Flatten with your palm to 1cm (½in) thick rounds.

Bake, rotating the trays and switching their positions on the racks halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and the tops appear dry, 15 to 17 minutes. Or, if you like crisp cookies, bake until the edges are just golden, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking trays, then transfer the pieces of parchment to wire racks and let the cookies cool until just warm or completely cooled.

Tip

Milk chocolate bars vary in quality and flavour (some are fruity, some are sweeter than others, some are ultra-smooth, and so on). Use one that you love the taste of as an eating chocolate, and it’ll work perfectly here too.

Salty Lemon Squares

I spent a couple of summers when I was young in Knowlton, Quebec, where my Auntie Magda had a summer home she ran as an unofficial sleepaway camp for all of the cousins. Our carefree days were spent horseback riding, face painting, running about in the yard and, of course, eating. Auntie Madga was a fantastic cook who put a touch of Polish in every dish. Her daughter, Maïa, two years my elder, likely inspired by her mum, was a passionate young baker. Maïa spent most of her mornings in the kitchen, baking something delicious so that we could all have treats after lunch. That first summer at ‘cousins’ camp’, she was obsessed with lemon squares. Brand-new to me, they were sweet and tangy, bright and cookie-like, and I ate them with abandon. But what also struck me was the idea that cooking is not necessarily a chore that somebody else does for you while you’re playing outside. If you love cooking, it’s fun. Today, whenever I make these lemon bars, which are a slight riff on Maïa’s original, I think back to that time that helped shape both my palate and my life path. The photo is on pages 236–237.

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, with a rack in the middle. Line an 20cm (8in) square baking tin with two sheets of foil, shiny-side up, crisscrossing them to leave an overhang on all sides. Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter.

For the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cooled melted butter and stir to combine. Turn the mixture out into the baking tin and press evenly over the bottom. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 18 to 22 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat the eggs in a medium bowl until combined. Add the granulated sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat on medium-high until the mixture is frothy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour the filling into the hot crust. Return the tin to the oven and bake until the filling is just set, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the tin on a wire rack, at least 1½ hours. For the best flavour and easiest cutting, chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or up to 1 day. (The bars can be covered and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw, unwrapped, for 1 hour at room temperature before serving.)

To serve, cut the bars into 5cm (2in) squares, then dust with icing sugar and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Tips

After grating the lemons, warm them in the microwave for 5- to 10-second intervals until just a bit warm, 15 to 30 seconds, which will help release the most juice.

The flavour of these bars deepens overnight, so make them a day ahead if you can.

Ginger-Cardamom Cowboy Cookies

I love my castmate Tan for many reasons, but at the top of the list is his indulgent nature and the fact that he never denies himself a good cookie or slice of cake, no matter the time of day. This variation on his chocolate-ginger favourites includes warm notes of cardamom as a nod to his Brit-Pakistani heritage. And Tan’s husband is a legit cowboy.

Spread the pecans on a baking tray and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pecans to a plate and let cool completely, then coarsely chop.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cardamom. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the oat mixture and beat at low speed to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips, ginger, coconut and pecans.

Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, or as long as overnight. (Chilling deepens the flavour and keeps the cookies from spreading too much when baked.) If you chilled the dough overnight, let it stand at room temperature for 45 minutes or so, until it is soft enough to scoop.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, with racks in the middle and lower thirds. Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the baking trays, spacing them 4cm (1½in) apart. Bake, rotating the trays and switching their positions on the racks halfway through, until the edges are golden, about 16 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the trays on wire racks for 5 minutes, then transfer to the racks to cool completely. Reuse the baking parchment for the next batches.

Polish Caramel Easter Squares

These bar cookies are most often served at Easter time in Polish homes, though I’ve seen them at Christmas and New Years. There are a number of variations, from lemon, orange and chocolate to crushed nuts, but this classic caramel is by far my favourite. I make it with a hazelnut crust, which lends a delicious nutty-toasty flavour. Decorating the top in the traditional way with hazelnuts, dried apricots, golden raisins and sliced almonds is pretty and a great sign of respect to the Polish motherland. The photo is on pages 242–243.

For the crust: Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, with a rack in the middle. Line an 20cm (8in) square baking tin with two sheets of foil, shiny side up, crisscrossing them to leave an overhang on all sides. Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter.

Spread the nuts on a baking tray and bake until fragrant and toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the nuts from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Set aside 16 nuts for garnish and wrap the remaining nuts in a clean tea towel. Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.

Rub the warm nuts in the towel to remove most of the skins (it’s OK if they don’t all come off). Transfer to a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped, then transfer to a medium bowl.

Add the flour, sugar and salt to the chopped nuts and whisk to combine. Add the cooled melted butter and stir to combine. Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking tin and press it evenly over the bottom and 5mm (¼in) up the sides. Bake until lightly golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. (The crust will firm up as it cools.)

For the apricot jam layer: Heat the preserve in a small saucepan over low heat just until warm to the touch and loose enough to spread easily, 1 to 2 minutes. Brush the warm jam over the cooled crust. Set aside.

For the caramel: Place the sugar in a large deep saucepan. Slowly and evenly pour 90ml water over the sugar to moisten it evenly. Heat over medium-low heat, undisturbed, until the sugar is a deep amber-brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush if necessary to remove any sugar crystals.

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, butter, vanilla and salt until the cream is warm and the butter is melted. Remove from the heat.

Toward the end of cooking the caramel, gently swirl the pan to ensure that the sugar caramelizes evenly. If at any point the sugar bubbles so much that you can’t see the colour, reduce the heat to low.

Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully add the cream mixture (the mixture will bubble up), stirring with a whisk or silicone spatula to combine. Fit the pan with a sugar thermometer and return it to medium heat. Cook the caramel, whisking occasionally, until it reaches 118°C/245°F, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately pour it over the hazelnut crust, tilting the pan as needed to spread it evenly. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then chill until the caramel is set, at least 1 hour, or overnight.

For the topping: Using the foil, remove the bar from the pan. Peel off the foil, then cut the bar into 16 squares. Decorate the bars with the sliced almonds, apricots, reserved hazelnuts and raisins to make flowers, or as you like. The bars keep, covered and chilled, for up to 1 week. Serve at room temperature.

Strawberry-Pink Peppercorn Eton Mess

This dessert is really about simplicity. A bowl of perfect summer fruit, made even more perfect with an imperfect mess of whipped cream and chunks of meringue. An uncomplicated, delicious and beautiful mess.

900g strawberries, hulled and cut into bite-sized pieces (set aside 6 whole berries for the garnish)

1½ teaspoons orange-flavoured liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier (optional; see Tip)

For the meringue: Heat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas 1, with a rack in the middle. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly add the granulated sugar and then continue beating until the mixture is shiny, has tripled in volume, and holds stiff peaks, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the icing sugar, vanilla and salt and beat just to blend.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the pink peppercorns. Spread the meringue evenly onto the baking tray to about 5mm(¼in) thick. Bake until the meringue is lightly golden, 50 to 60 minutes. Test by ripping off a small piece and letting it stand at room temperature for 10 seconds. If it is dry and crunchy throughout, it is done. It may still feel a little tacky, but it will dry as it cools. Remove the meringue from the oven and cool completely on the baking tray on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.

Break the cooled meringue into small pieces. (The meringue can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored airtight at cool dry room temperature.)

For the berries and cream: In a medium bowl, toss together the strawberries with the granulated sugar and liqueur, if using. With an electric mixer, beat the double cream and icing sugar in a large bowl to medium peaks.

Divide about half of the berry mixture among six serving glasses or bowls. Top each with a few pieces of meringue. Spoon about half of the whipped cream on top. Repeat with a second layer of meringue, berries and cream. Top each serving with a whole berry and a pinch of crushed pink peppercorns. Serve immediately.

Tip

The orange liqueur adds another level of flavour to the berries, but you can use leftover bubbles (Champagne, cava or Prosecco), or a splash of any other liqueur you like, or skip it altogether.

Vanilla Pots de Crème

WITH MANGO COULIS

There’s something so damn adorable about a single-serve dessert in a cute little pot with its own lid, the traditional presentation for pots de crème (ramekins work just as well). This has been my dessert choice at every French restaurant since I can remember. The creamy but dense vanilla base gets a lift from the bright floral tang of a fresh mango coulis, a small spin on a true classic.

For the pots de crème: Heat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas 2, with a rack in the middle.

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk, vanilla extract and salt over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture just comes to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, vigorously whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat and, whisking constantly, very slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture. Transfer the mixture to a 1 litre liquid measure or jug. Divide among six 100ml ramekins.

Set the ramekins in a 23 x 32cm (9 x 13in) Pyrex baking dish or baking tin. Add just enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the custards until they are just set (they should still be a bit wobbly in the centre when shaken), 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove the tin from the oven and let the pots de crème cool in the water bath for 5 minutes, then transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Chill until cold, at least 4 hours, or overnight; the crème will firm as it cools. (The pots de crème can be made up to 5 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge.)

Meanwhile, for the mango coulis: In a blender or food processor, combine the mango, lime juice and sugar and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve. (The coulis can be made up to 8 hours ahead.)

For serving: Let the pots de crème stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to take the chill off. In a small bowl, beat the cream to soft peaks. Top the pots with the cold coulis. Spoon a little whipped cream on top and serve.

Challah White Chocolate-Raspberry Bread Pudding

I. Love. Bread pudding. I love how simple it is to make a nice custard, which then gets soaked up by cubes of sweet, golden challah. I love that it’s a little Jewish (well, my version is). I love how the pudding rises a little when it bakes and gets even more golden. I love the contrast of crispy crust and creamy filling, and I especially love this combo of melty white chocolate and fresh raspberries.

Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5, with a rack in the middle. Butter a 20cm (8in) square baking tin (or a 1½ to 2 litre gratin dish) with the softened butter, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the demerara sugar.

Place the bread cubes and raspberries in a large bowl. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk and salt.

Combine the milk, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar, just until the mixture comes to a bare simmer. Remove from the heat.

Whisking constantly, gradually pour about one third of the milk mixture into the egg mixture. Again whisking constantly, pour the egg mixture back into the milk mixture to combine. Pour the mixture over the bread and berries and stir to coat the bread cubes.

Scrape the bread mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle with the chopped white chocolate, pushing about half of the chocolate pieces about 1cm (½in) into the crevices in the bread mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of demerara sugar.

Cover the pan with foil, sealing the edges, and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully uncover the tin, rotate it and continue baking until the custard is set and the top is golden and crisp, 20 to 30 minutes more.

Serve the pudding hot, right from the oven. The pudding is best on the day it is baked, but it can be made ahead, cooled and kept covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; rewarm in a 180°C/350°F/gas 4 oven for 10 minutes.

Tip

Challah is a traditional Jewish yeast bread enriched with eggs. Its sweet, buttery flavour and light, airy texture are similar to brioche, which you can easily substitute. Other good breads for bread pudding include Pullman sandwich loaf and French bread. The latter is chewier than the other three, so your dessert will have a denser texture.

Raspberry Mousse Dome

My mum’s skills in the kitchen skew towards savoury. An amazing home cook, she admits to being a bit lacking in the dessert department. That said, she does have a ‘treat trick’ or two up her sleeve. Her easy-to-make, no-fail reliable – and our family favourite – is this dessert. I remember the excitement around the unmoulding of the dome and the way my sisters and I would look on in anticipation. Then she’d let us help create pretty patterns with fruits and chocolate that weren’t unlike the folk designs on Polish polka dresses, table linens and pottery. Now the dome, as I call it, is my favoured finale. With its bright pink interior, crackly chocolate shell, tangy berries and fresh mint leaves, it’s a guaranteed showstopper.

For the dome: Line a 2.5 litre metal bowl with cling film, crisscrossing two pieces if necessary, leaving an overhang all around.

Put the raspberries in a large saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thawed and a little juicy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl and press on the berries to extract all the juice. You should have 375ml juice. Discard the seeds. Add the sugar to the juice and whisk to combine.

Pour 60ml tepid water into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Heat the gelatin mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, just until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove the gelatin from the heat and stir into the raspberry mixture. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of raw egg whites, about 20 to 25 minutes. (If the mixture becomes too thick, gently warm it over a pan of boiling water, then cool, stirring, to the proper consistency.)

With an electric mixer, beat the cream in a large bowl to medium peaks (just barely stiff). Fold about one quarter of the whipped cream into the raspberry mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the mixture into the prepared bowl. Chill, covered, until set, at least 8 hours, or overnight.

When ready to serve, make the chocolate shell: Combine the chocolate, coconut oil and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 15-second intervals, stirring well between each, until the mixture is smooth, 1 to 1½ minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Invert the dome onto a platter, then remove the bowl and cling film. Slowly pour about 125ml of the cooled chocolate shell over the cold dome, guiding and gently smoothing it over the dome with the back of a spoon as you go. Let stand until the chocolate has hardened, 5 to 10 minutes. (If the coating cracks, use the remaining chocolate to fill in and repair it.)

Run a large chef’s knife under hot tap water, then wipe dry. Use the hot knife, wiping it clean between cuts and rewarming it if necessary, to cut the dome into wedges. Serve with the remaining fruit and mint.

Watermelon Ginger Tower

I’m not sure how this idea came about, but ever since the day I had watermelon kissed with ginger and mint, I haven’t been able to go back to plain-Jane melon. The kid in me loves to cut it into same-size cubes and stack them in a Jenga tower on pretty plates. The dessert is refreshing when you want something light to end a meal. However you’d like to cut, cube, stack, ball or otherwise serve the melon is absolutely A-OK. Just promise me you’ll try it.

In a large bowl, gently toss together the watermelon cubes and ginger. On a large platter or on individual serving plates, stack the cubes Jenga-style, then sprinkle with the mint. Or arrange the melon in whatever way makes you very happy and then sprinkle. Serve.

Tip

Purchasing very fresh ginger and using a Microplane rasp grater to grate it are the keys here. The very fine grate brings out the pungent ginger juices and allows the shreds to best meld with the watermelon.

Jim’s Pi Pie

During the seven wonderful, heart-opening years I spent with my former boyfriend, Joey, we marked each birthday with a celebratory sweet. One year, shortly before my twenty-something, Joey’s father, Jim – who is such a great baker we joked that he would be perfect as a competitor on The Great British Bake Off – asked me to name my dream birthday dessert. (One of my favourite sorts of questions, BTW.) I quickly made it up on the spot: a salty graham cracker crust covered with a layer of caramely dulce de leche, then topped with creamy chocolate custard and a puff of golden, swirly baked meringue. A few weeks later, on my birthday, Jim and Minette, Joey’s mom, arrived with a fresh-baked rendition of that very dessert. Since my birthday is March 14 – National Pi Day – we named it Jim’s Pi Pie. I ate half of it that night. It truly is the dreamiest pie ever.

Place the biscuits in a food processor. Add the brown sugar, flour and salt and pulse until fine crumbs form. With the machine running, add the melted butter and process just until combined. Transfer the mixture to a deep 23cm (9in) pie dish and press evenly over the bottom and up the sides. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Place the pie dish on a baking tray and bake, rotating the tray once halfway through, until the crust is set, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.

For the filling: In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water), melt the chocolates, stirring until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, cornflour, and salt to combine well. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture just to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the custard is thick, 1 to 2 minutes.

Set a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the custard into the bowl. Whisk in the melted chocolate, butter and vanilla until smooth. Cover the surface of the custard with cling film (to prevent a skin from forming) and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Pour the dulce de leche into the crust, spreading it to cover the bottom. Pour the chocolate filling into the crust. Chill the pie, covered, for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

For the meringue: Heat the oven to 260°C/500°F/highest gas setting, with a rack in the middle.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl on medium speed until frothy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on medium-high, slowly add the sugar, then continue beating to stiff, glossy peaks, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Decoratively swirl the meringue on top of the pie, being sure to spread it to the edges of the crust to completely cover the filling. To toast the meringue, place the pie on the oven rack and bake, watching closely to avoid burning, until the meringue is golden in spots, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen butane torch.

Cut the pie into wedges and serve. The pie is best the day it is baked, but for longer keeping, insert a few toothpicks into the meringue 2 to 5cm (1 to 2 in) from the edges of the pie and loosely cover with cling film. Chill for up to 2 days.

Kansas City Coconut Sheet Cake

Beth Barden, a successful restaurateur in Kansas City, Missouri, who became a caterer for Queer Eye there, loves to play with American classics like sheet cake. This is one of her best. It’s such a perfect cake for a crowd, and it always makes me think of children’s birthday parties. Whipped ricotta lightens the sugar load on the frosting for this coconut version, which is topped with lots of flaky coconut. The photo is on page 261.

125ml unrefined coconut oil, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the tin

For the cake: Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, with a rack in the middle. Grease a 23 x 32cm (9 x 13in) baking tin with coconut oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, yoghurt, lemon zest and juice and vanilla.

With an electric mixer, beat the coconut oil, sugar and butter in a large bowl on medium speed, scraping down the sides occasionally, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the coconut milk mixture and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes (the mixture may appear curdled). Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just to combine. Fold in the coconut with a rubber spatula, making sure to fully incorporate it.

Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and spread it evenly with the spatula. Bake until the cake is lightly golden on top and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the tin halfway through. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the tin on a wire rack. (Leave the oven on.)

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Spread the coconut in a single layer on a baking tray and bake until golden and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.

With an electric mixer, beat together the ricotta and icing sugar in a large bowl on medium-high until the sugar is dissolved and the cheese is creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold in 75g toasted coconut. Cover the frosting and chill until it sets a bit, at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours. Set the remaining coconut aside.

Spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the reserved toasted coconut. Cut the cake into pieces and serve. The cake can be kept, covered in the fridge, for up to 3 days.

Tip

Be sure to use unrefined coconut oil here. If the oil is refined, it loses its nutty taste.

Olive Oil-Pecan Streusel Bundt Cake

WITH BROWN BUTTER GLAZE

This coffee cake marries a classic streusel with the light crumb of an olive oil cake, adding a brown butter glaze that slinks down the sides. It’s a great breakfast, brunch or afternoon indulgence.

For the streusel: Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, with a rack in the middle.

Spread the pecans on a baking tray and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely. (Leave the oven on.)

In a large bowl, mix the pecans with the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar with your fingers. Stir in the butter to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs and lemon zest until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture is pale and frothy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the oil and sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until the batter is smooth and no dry flour streaks remain.

Pour one third of the batter into the prepared tin. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Gently tap the tin on the counter to settle the batter. Repeat with half of the remaining batter and all the remaining streusel, then top with the remaining batter. Smooth the top, then gently tap the tin on the counter to settle the batter one last time. Bake, rotating the tin halfway through, until the edges of the cake pull away from the sides and the cake springs back from a light touch, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then gently invert it onto a wire rack and lift off the tin. Let cool completely, about 2 hours.

For the glaze: Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until melted and just golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Immediately transfer the butter to a heatproof bowl, leaving most of the browned bits in the pan. Add the icing sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk and stir until smooth. Add more milk if needed to thin the glaze to a pourable consistency.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake. Let the glaze set, about 15 minutes, before serving. To serve, cut the cake into wedges.

Tip

This cake tastes even better after sitting for a day, unglazed and covered, at room temperature. Glaze it on the day of serving.

BAKES

Peanut Butter and Nutella Balls

Tip