Meticulously casual is an oxymoron. They are the first words that come to mind when I think of hipsters. Every imperfection is a carefully calculated arrangement. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it screams pretentious in a I-try-very-hard-but-please-think-it’s-all-effortless sort of way. On the other hand, the aesthetics appeal to me on some levels and I occasionally emulate it. The perfect swirl you see in my Pumpkin Almond Cake with Almond Butter Frosting is a fine example. At first glance, the cake possesses such casual charm. You do not see any perfectly levelled and smooth coat of frosting. Behind the scene, it took some very deliberate effort to create this pretty swirl. Meticulously casual, precisely.
Despite my grumpy rant, this cake was a joy to bake. The recipe from BAKED Elements gave us a tender single layer pumpkin cake made extra delicate with ground almond. The frosting was a winner. Mixing roasted almond butter into icing sugar and softened butter gave us a taste of something more wholesome, more substantial, yet still decadent. This is a trick that I will remember going forward.
Notice that I did not mention anything about taste? Reviews from my tasters were unanimously favourable. The cake was happily gobbled up before I knew it. Me? I didn’t even get a bite and it wasn’t because I was not quick enough. Those of you following my recent health drama know that I am still on oral antibiotics treatment for the cut on my knee. A side effect of taking pills four times a day on empty stomach is the severely limited window of meal time. Empty stomach means 2-3 hours after or 1 hour before eating. All that restrictions threw my appetite out the window and I am quickly losing weight.
Thankfully, I am now on an unexpected staycation until end of month. It is my chance to relax and get back to my healthy self. It’s been far too long since I last felt strong and healthy. I kicked off my staycation in style this morning. First, I slept in. I lounged around the house a bit waiting for the end of my fast. Then I made waffles! Pumpkin waffles, of course.
I fancy up my pumpkin waffles with maple sugar, dark rye flour, and whole wheat red fife flour. Waffles are amazingly forgiving and it is quickly becoming my favourite way to experiment with different flours. Rye and red fife are hearty enough to stand up to the warm spices. I can’t say no to the pretty golden colour.
Pumpkin Rye Waffles
makes 8 regular waffles
Ingredients
- 80g dark rye flour
- 80g whole wheat flour (I used red fife)
- 35g maple sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- 1 generous teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon of cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 250mL buttermilk
- 125mL pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and eggs.
- Preheat waffle iron.
- Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in melted butter.
- Follow waffle iron’s direction to make waffles. Mine takes 1/3 cup of batter per waffle and yields 8.
- Leftover waffles can be stored in fridge or freezer. A quick trip to the toaster ought to freshen it up.
