yields 8 cupcakes
dairy-free, vegan
We think cherries are among the most under-utilized fruits in baking. Sure, there’s classic cherry pie or the cherry on top but how often do you see this sexy, scarlet fruit appear in cakes, crumbles, puddings or bars? Cherry season is short. The fruit is a rarity, a luxury—both qualities that make for excellent aphrodisiacs. Who doesn’t long for the things they normally can’t have?
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp grape seed oil
1/2 cup Cherry Coulis
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Sift the flour into a medium mixing bowl.
3. Add the brown sugar, baking powder and salt and mix well. Set aside.
4. In a second, smaller mixing bowl, combine the oil with the Cherry Coulis to make a rich, red syrup.
5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Mix until completely combined but don’t overmix.
6. Divide batter evenly among 8 paper-lined muffin cups.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until tops are springy and slightly golden. (Note: these cupcakes will not rise like egg-based cupcakes.)
8. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
To serve:
Top with your favorite vanilla buttercream frosting, or add a splash of Cherry Coulis to your favorite vanilla buttercream recipe. Alternatively, serve warm with a dollop of Whipped Coconut “Cream” and a drizzle of Cherry Coulis and/or Dark Chocolate Ganache. Or serve naked, (you and the cake), with a side of the leftover cherries from the Cherry Coulis.
Chocolate Avocado Snack Cake
serves 14
dairy-free
A vegan version follows.
Who doesn’t love a great chocolate cake? Chocolate is the food of lovers. In fact, a survey by EatSomethingSexy.com found that over 95% of participants have given food as a romantic gift. And do you know what the food was that was most consistently given? Chocolate, of course!
We wanted to put our own spin on the classic chocolate cake. How could we make it our own? Well, we figured we’d layer in even more aphrodisiac ingredients. So we added the ancient, native American aphrodisiac of avocado. (Avocado is a perfect ingredient for cakes because it creates an incomparably moist texture.) We also added the aphrodisiac of almonds, ground fine to a flour. The almond flour replaces some of the cake’s white flour and adds a lovely, sweet flavor component. Most importantly, we baked our cake in a bundt pan. Bundt makes the perfect naked cake because it comes straight out of the pan looking like a beautiful gift of chocolatey goodness. Who could ask for a more touching, romantic gift?
1 medium, ripe avocado
1 cup almond milk
2 lg eggs
1/4 cup avocado or canola oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white flour, sifted
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup almond flour (we prefer Bob’s Redmill Super Fine)
3/4 cup high-fat cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mash the avocado until it resembles guacamole.
3. Add the almond milk, eggs, oil, white vinegar and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 1–2 minutes. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, almond flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the avocado mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stopping occasionally to run your spatula around the sides and bottom of the bowl.
6. When the ingredients are combined (make sure not to overmix or your cake will get chewy), slowly add the boiling water to the batter. Be careful! If you do this too quickly, the water could splash and burn you. Chicks may dig scars but the welt of a cooking burn is not sexy!
7. Transfer batter to a greased and floured bundt cake pan. (We usually use a baking spray that includes flour; it’s quicker.)
8. Bake for 50–55 minutes, until cake just starts to pull away from edges. Be careful not to overbake. (Note: because this cake is very moist, the normal toothpick or cake tester trick will not work.)
9. Invert onto a cooling rack or serving plate. If the cake doesn’t release from the pan, let it cool for 15 minutes before trying to invert again.
10. Slice and serve cooled cake plain or with berries or top with warm Dark Chocolate Ganache.
Vegan Chocolate Avocado Snack Cake
serves 14
dairy-free, vegan
This produces a slightly more dense, moist cake than the original version but it’s also more intensely chocolatey. Of course, it still boasts the aphrodisiacs of chocolate, avocado and almond and is perfect for wooing your vegan lover.
1 medium, ripe avocado
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup avocado or canola oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white flour, sifted
1 1/4 cup vegan granulated sugar
1 cup almond flour (we prefer Bob’s Redmill Super Fine)
3/4 cup high-fat cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mash the avocado until it resembles guacamole.
3. Add the almond milk, oil, white vinegar and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 1–2 minutes. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, almond flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the avocado mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stopping occasionally to run your spatula around the sides and bottom of the bowl.
6. When the ingredients are combined (make sure not to overmix or your cake will get chewy), slowly add the boiling water to the batter. Be careful! If you do this too quickly, the water could splash and burn you. Chicks may dig scars but the welt of a cooking burn is not sexy!
7. Transfer batter to a greased and floured bundt cake pan. (We usually use a baking spray that includes flour; it’s quicker.)
8. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until cake just starts to pull away from edges. Be careful not to overbake. (Note: because this cake is very moist, the normal toothpick or cake tester trick will not work.)
9. Invert onto a cooling rack or serving plate. If the cake doesn’t release from the pan, let it cool for 15 minutes before trying to invert again.
10. Slice and serve cooled cake plain or with berries or top with a drizzle of our Cherry Coulis or a vegan chocolate ganache.
Polenta Shortcake
serves 16
We read that in the time of King Louis XIV, newly married couples ate a cake dipped in al-cohol to unleash their libidos for a passionate nuptial night. In trying to imagine what that cake might be like, we came up with this polenta shortcake. We thought it should be something dry for dipping in a liquid, with an interesting, slightly crunchy texture and a salty-sweet flavor. We realized that what we created would make a perfect shortcake for fresh and cooked fruits in a syrup of their juices, be it a strawberry shortcake or a biscuit to pair with our Five-Spice Apples in Syrup. We’d planned to bake in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan to make shortcake bars but discovered that we prefer the fat, springy squares of a 9-inch x 9-inch pan. We invite you to experiment with this cornmeal-based cake. We think it is the perfect blank canvas for serving fruit-based desserts in every season. Oh, and while it isn’t the most flavorful cake served on its own, it is actually pretty terrific dipped in spiced rum!
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 cups polenta flour (coarsely ground cornmeal)
1 cup all-purpose flour (or your favorite gluten-free baking mix)*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs at room temperature
zest of 1 tangerine
your favorite fruit topping and crème fraîche, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or Whipped Coconut “Cream”
*For a sweet, nutty version, try replacing the all-purpose flour with almond meal.
1. Generously grease a 9-inch x 9-inch baking pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture looks fluffy. (Don’t skimp on giving them a good beating. This will make or break the texture of your cake.) If you don’t have a mixer, you can use a wooden spoon and a rhythmic motion. Just be sure to beat for a good 5 minutes. You’ll build some sexy arm muscles.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until combined and then add 1 egg. Mix for about 30 seconds, then take a moment to run your spatula around the sides and bottom of your bowl. Repeat with another 1/3 of the dry mixture and the second egg, then the remaining dry mixture and the last egg. Fold in the tangerine zest.
6. Transfer the batter to your 9-inch x 9-inch baking pan. The batter will be closer in thickness to cornmeal dough than a typical cake batter. You will need to gently smooth the top to ensure an even thickness.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
8. Remove from oven and cool (still in the pan) on a wire cooling rack.
To serve:
To serve the cake with our Five-Spice Apples in Syrup, top each slice of cake with a serving of warm, spiced apples and drizzle with the syrup. Add a dollop of crème fraîche, whipped cream or Whipped Coconut “Cream.”
Although serving it with spicy apples is perfect for winter seduction, in spring, we prefer the cake served with fresh sliced strawberries tossed with a little sugar and a kiss of cream or ice cream. In summer, try it with peaches in brown sugar and whipped goat cheese. Or you can always treat it like biscotti and dip it in aged rum—that works any time of the year.
Bacon Streusel Pumpkin Cake
serves 12
This cake is dedicated to all the bacon lovers in our lives. We wanted to come up with a way to use bacon in a dessert that didn’t involve chocolate. Our inspiration was an autumn breakfast: pumpkin pancakes with a side of extra crispy bacon. Could we translate that into a cake? We started with all the best things about pumpkin, like its combination of savory and sweetness and creamy, moist goodness. And then we considered the most seductive notes of bacon, like it’s crisp texture and lingering smoky saltiness. The result is something that goes both ways—as in savory and sweet. (What were you thinking?) It can be served as the ending to a holiday meal. But it could also be a show-stopping side dish at brunch or a midnight snack shared between starved lovers.
There really is no history of bacon as an aphrodisiac. We know, it’s hard for us to believe, too. In fact, when people want to “talk aphrodisiac” with us, it’s the single, most-mentioned food. Many bacon lovers have sworn to us that the mere scent of cooking bacon can send them into the throes of passion. It’s definitely something to consider when you’re getting ready to bake this cake! Sometimes, it’s the timing that matters most.
For the bacon sprinkles:
2 oz applewood-smoked bacon (approximately 2 slices of thick-cut bacon)
1 tbsp brown sugar, lightly packed
For the streusel:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp water
bacon sprinkles
For the loaf cake:
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup coconut flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup 2% or whole milk
1 tsp white vinegar
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 15-oz can pumpkin
To make the bacon sprinkles:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. Arrange the bacon strips on the baking sheet.
3. Cook the bacon until crisp, approximately 18–20 minutes. (Keep the fires burning in the oven after you’ve removed the bacon. You’ll use it again in a few minutes.)
4. Wrap the bacon in a blanket of paper towels and press out the grease. You may need to use additional towels to soak up as much grease as possible.
5. Once the grease is removed, cut the bacon crosswise into 1/3-inch strips.
6. Transfer the bacon to another parchment-lined baking sheet and tenderly coat with brown sugar.
7. Return the bacon to oven and coat for 14–15 minutes until it’s ultra-crispy. (Keep oven hot for the cake.)
8. Separate the bacon from the brown sugar and finely chop it until it resembles bacon bits. These bacon sprinkles will be added to your buttery streusel.
To make the streusel:
1. Combine the flour, sugar and bacon in a small bowl.
2. Sprinkle with the water and cut in the butter with a fork until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Squeeze it in your hands until it’s thoroughly combined then break into large, sugary bites with a bit of fine crumbs for a variety of texture.
To make the cake:
1. Make sure your oven is heated to 350 degrees.
2. Coat a 9-inch (1.5-qt.) loaf pan with butter or baking spray.*
3. In the bowl of a mixer or a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and brown sugar.
4. Add the vinegar to the milk and take it for a quick twirl.
If you’re using a mixer, crack the egg into a small bowl then add it to the mixer (or to your bowl if you aren’t using a mixer). Add in the milk and oil and blend for 1 minute, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. If you’re working it by hand, make a small well in the center of the flour mixture. Gently whisk the egg in a small bowl then add it, along with the oil, to the milk. Pour the liquid into the center of the bowl and rhythmically stir until the ingredients are completely incorporated.
5. Fold in the pumpkin and stir to a smooth, thick batter.
6. Spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan, gently smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the streusel,
7. Transfer the cake to the oven. (The streusel may topple over the sides of the pan during baking. If you don’t want to risk having to clean your oven, cook the loaf pan on top of a baking sheet. Note that cooking may take a few minutes longer.) Bake for 70–75 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
*You can make this cake as 4 mini loaves or 12 muffins, but you’ll need to shorten your cooking time.