i made a cake! i made a cake! it's a rich little chocolate thing, spiked with fargo brewing company beer, and it's in the newest issue of the beeeeeautiful fargo-based wolftree magazine. yay, north dakota!

in the venn diagram of my cravings right now, we have this pineapple pico de gallo on the left, this coconut quinoa pudding on the right, and then in the middle there is this coconut milk grilled pineapple.

and furthermore on the subject of coconut, i made these dark chocolate coconut granola bars yesterday and they were beyond.

for supper yesterday i made ottolenghi's black pepper tofu for the egg parents and egg cousin and it was, how do you call it, sofa kind good.

stoop is making a funfetti wedding cake for us, so does that mean i have permission to wear a sprinkle dress?

i bought a bar of lux almond soap when i was in new york and it pretty much smells exactly like marzipan and i know this is not normal, but sometimes i just stand at my desk and smell it for minutes on end. i'm afraid to use it because then i will use it up.

i've spent lots of time looking at pictures of dumplings and trying to take good ones myself, but i'm going to stop now because these win everything.

cake tutorials are my new favorite genre of reading material. i really want someone to have a birthday soon so i can make an ombre cake and a ruffle cake, but i'm slowly becoming convinced that all farmers plan to have their offspring in the winter.

i miss college?

annnnnnnd a fake shack burger.

i'm giving away lightroom 5 today! it's my most favorite photo editing software. for the longest time i tried to hack my way through photoshop, but then i made the switch when i learned that lightroom isn't a lesser version of photoshop, it's actually just plain different. and way easier to use if i'm editing a billion photos of cake at once. i use it pretty much every day along with some snazzy vsco filters and i love it like a sister. almost. this giveaway is open to all north american residents. to enter: leave a comment with your favorite photo editing tip! the winner of the giveaway will be chosen at random next friday. update: this giveaway is now closed.

chocolate ipa cake

ingredients

2 c all-purpose flour

2 2/3 c sugar

3/4 c cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/3 c milk (dairy, almond, or coconut)

2 large eggs

2/3 c canola or vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 (12-oz) can Fargo Brewing Co. Wood Chipper, or other IPA

for the glaze:

3 c powdered sugar

5-7 tb milk

clues

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a large bundt or angel food pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla.

Whisk the milk mixture into the dry ingredients.

Bring the beer to a boil and immediately remove it from heat. Whisk it into the batter until just combined. Pour into the pan and bake for about 45-55 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool slightly in the pan and then remove and let cool completely. To make the glaze, mix the milk into the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Pour the glaze onto the cake and garnish with orange slices.

Enjoy with friends!

-yeh!