Happy Birthday Tahini! [a puppy-friendly petit birthday cake]

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Last weekend was Tahini’s first birthday! (And this weekend is Martin’s birthday so maybe I should be writing about how much I love him, but alas, Tahini has taken over our lives completely and this is just the way it is now.) A year ago, I had no idea that a fuzzy little puppy friend was what I needed, but here we are, 365 days later, and I’m very best friends with a rascal-y little dog and I’m not mad about it in the least.

If you know me personally, you know that I am not, and have never been, a dog person. They are fine, I suppose, but I never really wanted one. Martin and I had been talking about maybe adopting a furry friend on and off for years, but never actually considered the idea because 1) I am not a dog person and 2) they seemed like they would cramp my style. Then, the pandemic hit. I was already working from home so cutting off all social interaction was pretty isolating and the idea of adding something to our family started looking a little more appealing. I had very specific criteria if this whole thing was going to happen. Our furry friend needed to be small (but not too small), short-haired, a rescue, a puppy, and the name Tahini had to fit because I’d already picked that out. We spent a few days looking online and had just about given up when Tahini’s sweet baby face was posted on a humane center website and 24 hours later, he was mine {ours, I guess}.

This little boy is the sweetest thing in the world and he has been the perfect addition to our little family. He lets me carry him around on my hip like a small child, he snuggles like a champ, loves to curl up in front of the fireplace, and would spend all day sitting in the sun if he was allowed. He gives sweet little kisses, lets me put citrus bandanas on him on a daily basis, loves strawberries and sardines, and I just can’t remember what life was like before he joined our family. So happy birthday to the sweetest little puppy around!

tahini’s dog-friendly birthday cake

And of course, he got his own birthday cake. There are a lot of dog cake recipes out there, but I wanted something that was safe and nutritious for dogs while also being edible and tasty for humans. This petit layer cake is made with bananas, coconut or olive oil, yogurt, honey, an egg, whole wheat flour, and ground oats. The frosting is made of cream cheese, a bit of honey, and of course, tahini. He loved it (because he loves every piece of food put in front of him) and the humans enjoyed it too. :)

Yield: makes one 5" petit layer cake
Author: Anna Ramiz
Tahini's Birthday Cake

Tahini's Birthday Cake

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 55 Min
This petit layer cake is naturally sweetened with bananas and honey and is perfect for both our furry friends and their humans.

Ingredients

for the cake
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) coconut oil (melted) or olive oil
  • 1/2 cup (170 g) honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 large, ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) plain yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup (90 g) old fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cup (85 g) white whole wheat flour
for the frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp (42 g) honey
  • 2 tbsp (32 g) tahini
  • fresh fruit, for decorating 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse oats until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the white whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently whisk and then set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add the oil, honey, eggs, and yogurt and whisk until mixture is smooth and homogenous.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and no dry spots remain. Transfer batter to the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cake is golden brown and the sides begin to pull away from the edge of the pan. Cool completely.
  5. When the cake has cooled, invert it onto a cutting board and remove the parchment paper. Use a 5” cake ring to cut two circles and two half circles.
  6. To make the frosting: Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add the honey and tahini and beat until well-combined.
  7. To assemble the cake: Place one of the cake circles on a cake stand. Scoop a few tablespoons of frosting on the top and use an offset spatula to smooth into an even layer. Top with the two half-circles, pressed together to make one circle, and add another layer of frosting. Place the final cake circle on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake as smoothly as possible. Top with fresh fruit and serve.
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Bananas Foster Eton Mess

bananas foster eton mess

bananas foster eton mess

Last week, we talked all about meringue so it’s only fitting that today we make some! This bananas foster Eton mess is essentially a big crunchy, marshmallow-y pillow of baked French meringue topped with whipped cream and bananas swimming in a rum caramel sauce. Literally, what else could you need?

I like any desserts that are called “mess” because it makes me feel like the decorative bar is set so low. The Eton Mess is the ultimate lazy show-stopper. It made it’s first appearance in England in the late 1800s at Eton College’s cricket match (hence the name) and traditionally consists of just meringue, whipped cream, and strawberries. But you guys know how we feel about tradition around here, so I took the liberty of subbing our strawberries for bananas foster. Eton mess is a such a beautiful dessert to showcase whatever fruit you have in season, don’t limit yourself!

For this particular version, a French meringue is spread into a big circle on a sheet pan and then baked low and slow until crisp and the bottom easily releases from the pan. While the meringue is cooling, a simple brown sugar, rum, butter-filled caramel sauce is made and a few past-their-prime bananas are tossed in. Heavy cream gets whipped with a little sweetened condensed milk and everything is very slouchily piled high on the meringue. One thing to note, none of the components of this dessert hold very well on their own and so when you put them together, you have a beautiful dessert that needs to be eaten immediately. If you are making this for a dinner party or other evening soiree, I recommend baking the meringue sometime in the late afternoon, and then making the caramel and whipped cream just before serving (they are both very quick to toss together). Serve immediately after assembling or you will find yourself in a puddle of sweet cream and caramel, which is honestly not a bad thing, but also not exactly what we are going for here.

Yield: makes one large desserts, serves 8-10
Author: Anna Ramiz
Bananas Foster Eton Mess

Bananas Foster Eton Mess

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 30 M
Instead of the traditional strawberries, this Eton Mess is made of a crisp, marshmallow-like baked meringue topped with bananas swimming in rum caramel and lots of homemade whipped cream.

Ingredients

for the french meringue
  • 200 g (about 5-6) egg whites
  • 350 g (1 3/4 cup) granulated sugar
for the bananas foster
  • 3 ripe bananas, sliced
  • 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp coffee liqueur
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • Pinch of salt
for the whipped cream
  • 1 cup (227 g) heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup (78 g) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, optional 

Instructions

to make the meringue
  1. Preheat oven to 200° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin whipping on medium speed. When the egg whites begin to froth, gradually stream in sugar while the mixer continues to run. When all of the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to whip until smooth and glossy and medium peaks form.
  3. Pour meringue onto your prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to smooth into a circle, about 9” in diameter.
  4. Bake for 1 to 1- 1/2 hours, until meringue is dry and crispy and easily releases from the bottom of the pan. Set aside to cool.
to make the bananas foster
  1. Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and brown sugar to the pan and cook without stirring, until butter is melted. When the butter is melted, you can begin to whisk the caramel occasionally. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes, until brown sugar is dissolved and caramel is deep brown and bubbling. Whisk until smooth and homogenized.
  2. Carefully whisk in coffee liqueur and heavy cream and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in bananas and salt and remove from heat to cool slightly while you make the whipped cream.
to make the whipped cream and assemble
  1. Place heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin whipping on medium-low speed, until frothy and then gradually increase speed. When the cream has reached soft peaks, add the sweetened condensed milk and then continue to whip until whipped cream has reach medium peaks.
  2. Spread half of the whipped cream over the meringue. Spoon bananas and caramel on top of the whipped cream, followed by the remaining whipped cream and toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

Notes:

  • a note on "peaks": Most of the time, meringue done-ness is discussed in terms of peaks—soft, medium or stiff. I usually like to explain the difference between the three by using pictures, but I’ll try to use my words to help you create a picture in your head. When you remove the whisk from the bowl, the meringue at the top should create a tip. If the tip immediately falls back over onto itself, you’ve reached the soft peak stage. If the tip stays upright, but the very top of it falls back onto itself creating a little wave look, you’ve reached medium peaks. If, when you pull the whisk out of the bowl, the tip stands upright, you’ve reached the stiff peak stage. **This also applies to whipped cream**
  • None of the components of this dessert hold very well on their own and so when you put them together, you have a beautiful dessert that needs to be eaten immediately. If you are making this for a dinner party or other evening soiree, I recommend baking the meringue sometime in the late afternoon, and then making the caramel and whipped cream just before serving (they are both very quick to toss together). Serve immediately after assembling or you will find yourself in a puddle of sweet cream and caramel, which is honestly not a bad thing, but also not exactly what we are going for here.


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