Coffee Coconut Nutella Loaf

Sometimes I just want to do something out of the usual. Like have my coffee in seven shot glasses instead of a mug, go into a high-end store and try on fifteen dresses that will not be purchased by this guy, go get a tattoo.. or another cat, or maybe just drive to Texas one day to see if everything really is bigger. 

 As a routine follower and hater of change, I need to do these things every once in a while. Seriously, it took my mum five years to convince me to buy a new set of sheets because she was tired of repairing the tears in the old ones just because I'm a "nut case." 

Since Texas is out of the question until school is over, I have to settle for baking up weird concoctions and drinking coffee out of shot glasses. Luckily the two actually go together pretty well. And luckily this bread worked out too. I was contemplating throwing the batter out which is something that does not happen in my kitchen. Thank Gale that didn't happen. 

Coffee Coconut Nutella Loaf [-acinnos! Zoolander anyone?]
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp coconut extract
1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup nutella

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a loaf pan, preferably 4 x 8 inches, and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside. In a cereal bowl, whisk together the egg, extract, coffee and milk. Add to the flour mixture. Stir until almost combined, there are a few bits of flour left, and stir in the coconut. Mix the batter just until combined. The batter will be very thick. Take half of the batter, it will be a thin layer, and spread it in the prepared loaf pan. Take heaping tablespoons of the nutella and plop it over the batter. It will essentially cover the batter. Top with the remaining coconut batter. Take a knife and attempt to swirl it around. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let it sit in the pan for 10 mintutes then remove to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.

* I recommend adding 1/4 cup of oil or melted butter to the batter. If you decide to do this, add the oil/butter to the egg mixture before adding to the flour mixture.

Coconut Nutella Bird's Nests

I've tried several times to write this post and nothing seems to work. Anything that's come across the screen seems superficial or just too simple to capture what I want to say. It's hard to handle huge waves emotion and most people deal with them differently. I don't know how to handle, talk about or even think about grief and it seems that the only thing I could do was hurt someone else.

But as soon I walked away, all the emotions I'd tried so hard to lock away overflowed. And for the first time in four years, my heart hurt. This immeasurable weight was pressing on my chest and it felt like I was sinking. It's funny, in that way, how sadness can be forced and self-inflicted. It turns out the stories are true, I really didn't know what I had until it was gone.

Basically, emotions are hard to handle but if the rest of the stories are true, time can heal most hurts. Let's have some cookies and throw some cares away. And hey! Happy Valentine's Day! I hope that didn't sound sarcastic, it was supposed to be sincere. Promise.

Coconut Nutella Bird's Nests
These pups are so easy to make you should make them right now. The cookies are three ingredients. Three. Plus, they are a tasty shortbread that can be rolled in and filled with just about anything. Except cilantro.

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg whites, beaten until frothy 
3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 cup nutella

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or butter 'em up. In a bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until nice and fluffy. Beat in the flour just until combined. It won't be the smoothest of doughs, it is more like a shortbread dough. Scoop up heaping tablespoons and roll into balls and flatten slightly between your palms. Roll the flattened ball in the egg whites then roll through the coconut. Place on the prepared baking sheet and press a dent into the center. Hold the sides of the dough with one hand and press the dent with a finger from the other hand. Repeat. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the coconut is golden. Remove from the oven and press on the dents again. Allow to cool. Once cool, plop in a teaspoon of nutella in the dent. Voila! You have yourself some birds nests.. minus the evil birds. Makes 24, on the dot, cookies. 

Nutella Coconut Caramel Pecan Bars

Canada is awesome. The one little problem is Thanksgiving. We get to celebrate way ahead of the States, all the way in early October. This gives us a few months to rest before the Christmas turkey rolls in. 

But the issue is the internet. Before food blogs came into my life, American Thanksgiving slipped by without me even knowing. Now the minute November strikes, I know something bad this way comes. Every food website becomes a turkey/potato/pie palooza.

Americans, this is my plea. Please stop making every-dang-thing you bake and cook look amazing. The drool has ruined my keyboard. Since there is nothing I can do about this, the only option is to give in and bake. And bake I did. This little number is like a pecan pie but one that likes to party with nutella and coconut on a shortbread dance floor. 

Nutella Coconut Caramel Pecan Bars

Adapted from my favourite shortbread and very loosely from beloved Buns in the oven

crust

2/3 cups flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup icing sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

filling

1 egg

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup salted caramel or caramel sauce

2/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut

2/3 cups pecans toasted, some left whole and some halved

3/4 cup nutella

Preheat the oven to 300º. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, icing sugar and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, beat the butter. Dump in half the flour mix and stir until almost combined. Add the rest of the flour mix and stir until just combined. Press the dough into a ungreased 8 x 8 inch pan*. Bake for 20 minutes, until it starting to look dry on the top but not golden or coloured. Meanwhile this is cooking, beat together the egg, brown sugar and caramel sauce. Fold in the coconut and pecans. Spread the nutella over the hot crust. I let it sit on the crust so it would loosen then I spread it around. Pour the pecan mixture over top of the nutella. Return the pan to the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the pecan mixture looks set. Remove from the oven. Immediately run a knife around the edges. Allow to cool completely then slice into squares and enjoy! Makes 12-16 squares. 

* My pan is boss. It is has a removable bottom. This is a life saver. Instead of having to panic about lifting things out of it or trying to get them from sticking, all I gotz to do it pop it out. If you do not possess this, perhaps line the pan with parchment paper to make your life a little easier. Or be a rebel, and do not do a thing. 

Coconut Nutella Bundt Cake

I like to think that I have a pretty level head. As in, I can determine what is stupid and what is not. And this includes my own actions. It's quite funny how one event can cause you to completely question yourself. Here is some insight: You are Frodo and you are carrying the ring. The ring is completely bad for you, the cons outweigh the pros by a mile. It is carries the weight of the world and breaks you down. Yet, Frodo does not want to give up the ring. From an outside perspective, it seems the sensible solution would be to rid of the ring. But there is something very powerful making Frodo keep it. Catch my drift? Well I feel like Frodo.. and dam do I wish I was Gandolf.

My head is pretty unstable when it comes to this cake too. When we were traveling, we discovered the colossal combination. Not an O' Henry but nutella and coconut. My friend, Bo, loves coconut and nutella but it was only when we saw them on a crepe menu together that we realized what we were missing. It seems so obvious. And it is amazing. When I got home I wanted to get my bundt on and then the colossal craving hit and the birth of this cake came to be. 

Coconut Nutella Bundt Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts

3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup whole milk*
2 cups (packed) sweetened flaked coconut (about 7 ounces) 
1 1/2 cups Nutella, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 12-cup Bundt pan; dust pan with flour. Stir 3 cups cake flour and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then both extracts. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with 1 cup milk in 3 additions. Fold in 2 cups flaked coconut. Transfer batter to prepared pan. In heaping tablespoons, drop 3/4 cup of the Nutella onto the batter. Using a long knife swirl the batter and the Nutella to marbleize. Smooth the top. Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Check the cake about 30 minutes in to see if the top is browning. If so, cover with tin foil. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely. Heat up the remaining 3/4 cup Nutella in the microwave to loosen it. Spread over the cool cake. Dust with powdered sugar. Serves 16.

* The original recipe called for coconut milk but I only had light and did not want to risk it. Feel free to try it with regular coconut milk instead of whole milk.

Marbled Banana Nutella Cake

Nutella and I go way back. It all started in my friend Lee's kitchen. My household was made of whole wheat and vegetables but Lee's was made of wonders such as soup in a cup and Nutella. Once Nutella and I met, we made a habit of meeting over toast every time I went to Lee's which was pretty much everyday. 

This relationship could not last forever. Eventually we drifted apart. Tears. It was almost as tragic as Atonement. I revoke that statement, that movie devastated me but that is for another time and place. But we got together again in Paris. At the end of the day I would settle down once again with toast , but brioche toast now, and hit up the Nutella. 

We parted again. Life got the best of us and he spent his days in the pantry and I spent mine eating bacon. However, we hang out a lot now and our relationship is casual. When it comes to baking Nutella, I have found that it doesn't do it justice. The flavour is never strong enough for me. He should be front and center. So instead of incorporating him in, he stands on his own. And this was perfect. 

Marbled Banana Nutella Cake

banana cake

1 1/4 cup mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 huge)

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted*

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

nutella swirl 

1/2 cup nutella

1 egg

decoration

confectioner's sugar

Preheat the oven to 375º. Grease two 6 inch circle pans or one 8 x 8 inch square pan. In a large bowl, beat together the bananas and sugar. Mix in the eggs, butter and vanilla until completely combined. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the nutella and egg. Stir until fully combined. If using the two circle pans, add a quarter of the batter to each. Drop 3 tbsp of the nutella mixture on top of the cake batter. Repeat with the other pan. Top with the remaining batter. Drop 3 more tbsp on top of the batter. Repeat with the other pan. Using a knife slowly swirl the nutella into the cake batter. Just give it a few quick stirs so that large nutella swirls remain. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. A cake tester should come out with barely any crumbs. Allow the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and let them cool on wire racks or dig right in. Serves 8 healthy pieces.

To add the heart decorations, take a small piece of parchment paper. Using an approximately 1 1/2 inch heart cookie cutter, outline the cookie cutter onto the parchment. Cut out the hearts. Place on the cake. To secure the hearts on the cake, use toothpicks to pin them down. Sift confectioner's sugar on top of the cake. Using tweezers or very nimble fingers, remove the parchment hearts. Now dig on in. 

* So I have made this in the past without butter. Weird, right? Actually it was good but it is a well known fact that butter makes everything better. Ask any scientist you know.. as long as they are not a nutritionist.

Banana Nutella Streusel Muffins

These muffins, to me, sound amazing. They were amazing but there was a problem, they were lacking in the Nutella flavour. The muffins were soft, had a nice banana flavour and a contrasting crunch with the streusel but just not enough Nutella. The original recipe made note of this so I thought I would amp it up by putting Nutella, instead of butter, in the streusel and it really didn't add that much. However, these were good muffins but if you are looking for Nutella, I suggest you maybe swirl it in or maybe even add a Nutella glaze.

Banana Nutella Streusel Muffins
Adapted from here!
muffins
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 medium, ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
3 1/2 oz. milk
4 1/2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
3 1/2 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. nutella
streusel
3 1/2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tbsp splenda brown sugar blend or 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. For the muffins, cream together the sugar, butter and egg. Once well creamed, fold in the nutella and the mashed bananas. In a small bowl combine the milk and the baking soda and mix well. In another medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour and milk mixtures to the creamed mixture alternatively. Incorporate well but make sure not to over mix as it can make your muffins tough. Fill the muffin tin about 2/3 full and set aside. For the streusel, mix all of the ingredients together and using your hands work the butter into the mixture until it is all combined and is crumble-y. Top each muffin with about a tablespoon each of the mixture. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool before eating and enjoy!