Homemade Doughnuts with Saffron-Infused Creme Patisserie Coated in Cardamom Sugar

Made these on a whim, and regretted it because of all the mess it left in my kitchen. Frying and sugarcoating requires a lot of cleanup. However, the end product tasted amazing, but this probably isn't something I'd do more than a couple of times every few years.

Deep, Dark, Spicy Gingerbread with Caramel Glaze

My sister and I made these on a weeknight for her coworkers. Definitely one of the best ways to get your gingerbread fix during the holiday season.

Blueberry Hand Pies

I made these because I was in the need of pie in spite of fall. I didn't host a Friendsgiving, which is when I get my pie fix for this time of the year, so I decided to make small pies for a few friends and family this autumn. 

Strawberry Creme Danishes

My mom had leftover puff pastry so we decided it was time for strawberry danishes. This is also one of the easiest and best things I've made. The pastry dough is tricky though — try not to roll out the dough too much or add too much flour. Strawberries are always amazing on danishes and was the available fruit at the time but the original recipe called for figs. 

Persian Love Cookies

This was an attempt at Persian Love Cookies from a new cookbook I received called Pastry Love by Joanne Chang.

Chocolate Brioche

I made chocolate brioche on Eid ul Adha and while it does take a while, it's one of the best things I've made. As is the trend lately, all my recipes are from Joanne Chang's cookbooks.

Peony Season

This is a classic vanilla cake, with dark chocolate chips and a hint of coffee for a client's bridal shower. Halfway into making it, I spent the longest time looking for the right flowers for this and decided to go with a few peony stems (might I add these were $3!!!)

If I had an engagement/nikkah cake it would look something like this.

Iftar 2019

Ramadan Kareem! Hope everyone has been able to make the most of this blessed month while trying not to be too sleep-deprived. I hosted my annual iftar this past Saturday with a few close friends and I wanted to share some tips and ideas. I was really happy with how everything turned out but I do think that it did take quite a toll on me (it's Sunday night and I'm still recovering, and I have a full schedule all of this week while still needing to catch up on my Ramadan goals). My mom kept saying that I chose a difficult menu, and I realized that after I made everything LOL.

Chocolate Coffee Cake

Been busy with the flow of things lately, but I woke up at 7 am to make this chocolate coffee cake I made for my mom's birthday. It took about 3 hours from start to finish including baking and cooling time.

Eclairs

I've been meaning to test my baking fluency by having a go at eclairs, but didn't find a reliable recipe until my sister showed me one from a cookbook called Flour. 

A few tips: 

1. The creme patisserie is the hardest part of the process and I'd recommend having someone help out with this step as well. Even a mere 10 seconds of not whisking the egg into the mixture properly can result in a scrambled egg/curdled mixture. 

2. The choux pastry should be made first, since it takes a while to cool down as well. 

3. Dusting pistachios is totally optional. 

4. Most videos show that injecting the creme pat from the bottom of the eclair is the way to go, but I'd recommend the GBBO method of just injecting it from opposing ends of the eclair. 

Pistachio Cardamom Cake

Hi guys, just wanted to show my pistachio cardamom cake in bundt cake form. It took around the same amount of baking time and ingredients. This is my mom's favorite, happy baking!

The Greatest Miracle is Within You

Winter Wonderland Bridal Shower Cake

Made this cake for my friend's bridal shower. It was the first time I truly experimented with design and what I could do! I commend Sarah for choosing such a unique theme that the rest of us worked with seamlessly.

Friendsgiving

I know I'm posting this mid-winter when Thanksgiving season was two months ago, but I just wanted to share some ideas I came up with for my annual Friendsgiving. A few friends brought pies and we had an assortment of cherry, apple, pecan, and pumpkin pies. I enjoyed arranging the cheeseboard the most because it was my first time working on one — loved how customizeable it is and how almost anything goes. 

Decor was all inexpensive and from either Target or Michaels. It just added a cozy touch to the night. 

My main entrees were: mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, and cornbread. I had two extra pans of each mac and cheese and pie in the oven and took them out once the initial ones were finished. 

My desserts were pies and I made an orange almond cake. I'll post the recipe shortly. I actually came across it while searching for decor at Michaels and found it on the cover of a magazine.