Coconut Madeleine Recipe

Maybe it's just me but I love having guests over for tea. It's fun because you can serve an assortment of savory and sweet treats to go along with it. And, of course, I love trotting out my different tea sets!

My go-to, fool-proof tea cake recipe is a French classic: the madeleine. The authentic, buttery, plain version is divine, but today I felt like adding something exotic and flavored the batter with coconut. The coconut version doesn't puff up as much as traditional madeleines normally do, but they are a touch crispier and pair wonderfully with a hot cup of tea.

Meyer Lemon Yogurt Cake Recipe

I've made this cake recipe for years. I think I found the recipe when I was a little girl on the back of vanilla sugar packets that are commonly available in France. I haven't changed the base of the cake batter much since then.

The great part of this recipe is that the measuring tool is the yogurt container. And after making it once, you'll probably never have to refer to the recipe again. Simply remember "1, 2, 3, ½, 3": 1 yogurt, 2 measures of sugar, 3 measures of flour, half a measure of oil (½), 3 eggs, 1 packet of "levure" (baking powder) and 1 packet of vanilla sugar.

Instead of serving the cake plain, which by the way is great with tea, I flavored the cake with Meyer lemon zest and glazed it with a Meyer lemon mascarpone glaze. It was truly fantastic!

Pinapple Coconut Muffin Recipe

The main reason I baked these muffins is that I had leftover crushed pineapple from our recent Vietnamese beef fondue party. The more romantic reason I tell my husband Lulu is that I'm always thinking about him and I want to please him all the time. Given his sweet tooth, Lulu always enjoys a hot cup of fruity white tea and a few sweet treats, so I think he'll fall for it .

The muffins are flavored with pineapple, coconut and lemon chocolate chips.

Blackberry Muffin Recipe

When we first got married I had a lot free time, but ever since Aria came into our lives, I'm not able to be as attentive to Lulu and have decreased the number of romantic gestures I make. So this weekend I brought him breakfast in bed. 

I made little blackberry muffins and baked them in heart-shaped molds. Lulu greatly appreciated them but he made one remark I found amusing. He thought the blackberries made it look like the hearts were "bleeding". He teased me and said "Is there a hidden message here?"

Apple Hazelnut Cake Recipe (Eggless Dessert)

Whether served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, crème anglaise or simply a dollop of Greek-Style vanilla yogurt, this apple hazelnut cake will satisfy your sweet tooth. What I love most is the contrast in texture of the crisp, buttery top and the moist interior.

I flavored the cake with Red Delicious apples. I chose this particular variety because of their firmness and beautiful bright red color. I usually use them in salads or eat them as is but they also work well in these baked goods.

The girls have been working out hard this week and asked if they could break their healthy routine with some sweets. I'm so happy they decided to join me in my workout routine and thought they deserved a little reward. They're teenagers after all. As you can probably tell by our meals, we don't really diet, though I try to find healthier alternatives as long as they don’t sacrifice flavor. After enjoying these treats, the girls and I hit the gym and enjoyed 30 minutes of pure Stairmaster fun!