Corn and Deep Fall

A recipe for Tres Leches, my favorite places and the wonders of fall around the country.

Going on book tour is a HUGE privilege. Even in my dreams when I was writing this book, I never thought just how incredible and rewarding it would be to meet so many bakers and cooks excited for whole grains! HUNGRY for MORE. Traveling can be very exhausting but every smile on every face fills me up. I love hearing what inspires you, what you’ve made from the book, and who you can’t wait to share it with at your next gathering. All of these moments strengthen our sense of community and joy. I am so lucky to be a part of your world in these ways.

I have also been so blessed that the book came out in fall and my tour has allowed me to see the root of color that is Autumn around the country. Truly Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia and NYC have shown off this season! Here’s some of my favorite places if you decide to skip town this season:

Seattle - Musang for incredible Filipino food, Il Nido an Italian restaurant in a cozy cabin serving some of the absolute best pastas, Off-Alley a tiny counter seating joint with tasting menu only place where the Chef is having fun with grains, Paper Cakes is a fun shop to get snacking cakes featuring great flavors, obviously check out Book Larder to grab a signed copy of my book!

San Francisco/Bay Area - The Mill never disappoints with great seasonal toasts and daily breads, Day Trip has a celery salad on their menu that is not only my favorite color (acid green!) but truly phenomenal tasting, if you can catch a Blooms End Pop Up YOU SIMPLY MUST, highly recommend a four scoop waffle cup order at Bi-Rite Creamery, stop by Omnivore Books and grab a signed copy of my book!

Philedelphia - I had less than 24 hours to enjoy the city of brotherly/sisterly love but I hit up K’Far, Goldie and Laser Wolf. If you love Mediterranean/Israeli food you simply must visit (ALL) of Mike Solomonov restaurants. High Street Bakery has the best whole grains in the city and you can grab a signed copy of my book while there!

New York City - I can never come here without spending an evening at Cervos and getting a plate of their prawns, recently obsessed with the number of sandwiches offered at Court Street Grocers, I won’t ;eave town without doing my ritual last breakfast at Okonomi, Agi’s Counter is just about the most delicious place on the planet in my opinion, Grab great cookies from the Good Batch, and stop by Archestratus for a signed copy of my book!

Enjoy this recipe for a Tres Leches Cake thats perfect for every time of year, but especially when we are between seasons and there is less produce at the market. Now is the time to celebrate one of the worlds most delicious riches - milk! Watch the video of me sharing this great cake from my youth on New York Living. And make the recipe today!

Photograph by Rebecca Stumpf

Corn Tres Leches Honeysuckle Cake

HONEYSUCKLE SOAK

5 g honeysuckle flowers

500 g heavy whipping cream

300 g evaporated milk

300 g sweetened condensed milk

CAKE

5 large eggs, separated

200 g sugar

30 g corn flour

130 g all-purpose flour

10 g baking powder

3 g salt

80 g whole milk

HONEY CREAM

500 g heavy whipping cream

60 g honey

2 g salt

MAKES ONE 8-INCH CAKE

To Make: Combine all the soak ingredients in a small saucepot and heat gently over medium heat to infuse the honeysuckle. Remove from the heat when you see small bubbles around the edges, then use an immersion blender to blend the honeysuckle into the cream. Let cool completely. Strain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with half (100 g) of the sugar until soft peaks form. Place all the remaining cake ingredients, including the egg yolks and the remaining 100 g of sugar, in a separate bowl. Use a whisk to mix until just combined.

Use a spatula to very gently fold egg whites into the flour mixture until incorporated. Scrape the spatula against the sides of the bowl and bring through to the center of the batter. Continue until the mixture is uniform, careful to maintain as much air as possible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes; the center should be puffed and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and run an offset spatula along the edges to release the cake. Let cool completely in the pan before turning out onto cooling rack.

Place a serving dish with a small lip upside down over the cake pan and flip the cake onto it. Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Use a pastry brush to paint one-third of the soak mixture over the top of the cake. Let rest for 30 minutes. Paint another third of the soak mixture over the top. Let rest for 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining soak mixture for slicing and serving.

Make the honey cream: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the honey cream ingredients and whip on medium-high speed until medium peaks form.

Transfer the whipped cream mixture onto the cake and use an offset spatula to smooth a thick layer on top of the cake all the way to the edges. Place the cake and reserved soak mixture in the fridge and chill for 2 hours or overnight. Serve cold.

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Bonus Recipes: Make my addictive amoretti cookie shared by the Washington Post. Made with egg whites and almond flour, its naturally gluten free. Dip it in ruby chocolate ganache for a party dress finish.

Obsessed with: Frank Gehry’s stunning green kitchen. The wood beamed windows set at different angels, creating all these light fields. Would be stunning to cook, bake and photograph in this gem.

Inspired by: All floral Artis Joshua Werber’s work. This food installation creating a dripping radicchio, more salad please. Or this produce display from Wegman’s at Cherry Bombes Cooks and Books celebration this past weekend in NYC.

Reading: Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering. Just started but feels like an essential read for everyone to be gentler with themselves.

Just for Fun: How beautiful it is that trees live for hundreds if not thousands of years? How old would everything be if we tended, cherished and celebrated? Meet some truly special creatures. And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we cherished them and worked with them for our needs as well. Check out the Japanese practice of Daisugii that gets the lumber we need for building while not killing these beautiful plants. We already know how to take care of our one precious planet, we just have to do it.