Chocolate, Banana and Teff Cupcakes and A Blog Anniversary

Two years ago, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I made a batch of lemon bars and I thought "why don't I start a blog to keep a journal of all my recipes?" and so I did. I barely knew anything about blogs or how they worked. I went to Blogger and follow the instructions one by one and that's how Cannelle Et Vanille was born.



In these two years, life, the blog, my career... they have all changed dramatically. I would have never guessed in a million years that this is where it would all lead me to. I love that about life, the surprises around the corner.

The blog has connected me to so many new people that share my passion and continue to inspire me everyday. I love the collaborations and brainstorming that happens even through this virtual world. It is amazing. So this post is dedicated to all of you who read Cannelle Et Vanille day in and day out. It wouldn't have been possible without you.



Now, can I tell you how good these cupcakes are? And can I tell you that they are gluten free and that it took three batches to perfect them? But so worth it. Very moist, chocolaty and full of great nutrients.

I first heard of Teff a few years ago when I used to visit a gluten free bakery in Colorado Springs called "Outside The Bread Box". They have an amazing bread made out of Teff that seriously, I would have never been able to tell that it was gluten free if I hadn't read the label. Teff is an ancient grain from Ethiopia that is rich in iron, calcium and protein. It has a distinct rich flavor and dark color that I think goes great with chocolate.

"Do you want to help amatxu mash these bananas?", I asked J. Once again, he brought out his step stool, got the masher and started mashing those ripe bananas away. Because, did you know that children are 95% more likely to eat those foods they have prepared themselves? I love that. But again, not like I would have had to force him to eat these.

Chocolate, Banana and Teff Cupcakes

Makes 1 loaf and 12 cupcakes

3 eggs
200 grams natural cane sugar
300 grams ripe bananas, mashed
175 grams light olive oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
100 grams teff flour
50 grams sweet rice flour
50 grams hazelnut meal
15 grams cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
100 grams chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, banana puree, oil and vanilla.

In a large bowl, whisk together the teff, sweet rice flour, hazelnut meal, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until all combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the loaf pan and cupcake molds. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes for the loaf pan and 20 minutes for the cupcakes.

For the icing, I used my basic buttercream recipe and added cocoa powder to it.

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Chocolate, Banana and Teff Cupcakes and A Blog Anniversary

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Chocolate Mousse, Salted Caramel Ganache, Peanut and Banana Caramel Tarts

I hope you are enjoying this holiday weekend. For us, it has been a weekend of potty training, sourdough bread baking, grilling and torrential rains. I have not seen it rain so hard in a long time, but it was needed as our grass was starting to look a bit brown and lifeless.

I will leave the potty training stories for another time, as I know those of you who have done it, have your share of funny ones as well. I will have to tell you about our new sourdough culture soon. It has become our new family project now and are completely obsessed with it.



I made these chocolate tarts for our annual Memorial Day weekend block party. Surprisingly, the sun came out for us and we were able to set up a large tent right outside so everyone could come in and go. Lots of neighbors joined and the kids had a blast in the pool and the sprinklers we set up outside.

Everyone loved when I brought these tarts out. They are chocolate tart shells filled with a layer of banana caramel with peanuts, another layer of a triple chocolate salted caramel ganache and topped with chocolate mousse. Rich to say the least, but oh so good.



Chocolate Tart Dough

adapted from Johnny Iuzzini's "Dessert Fourplay"

Note: you will only need part of the dough. Freeze the rest.

140 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
150 grams sugar
pinch salt
1 egg
1 egg white
310 grams flour
50 grams cocoa powder
4 grams baking powder

Cream the butter, sugar and salt until light.

Mix the egg white and egg together and add it to the butter. Mix and scrape bowl well.

Add the sifted flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix until combined.

Divide the dough into two balls, flatten them into disks, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours before rolling.

Roll the dough into 1/8" thickness and fill 3" ring molds with it. Refrigerate the filled molds for at least an hour before blind baking.

Salted Peanut and Banana Caramel

100 grams sugar
40 grams glucose
50 grams butter
200 grams ripe bananas, mashed
50 grams salted peanuts, chopped

Make a dry caramel with the glucose and the sugar. Add the softened butter and whisk until it melts. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mashed bananas. Transfer to a clean bowl and let this caramel cool.

We will add the salted peanuts when the banana caramel has cooled and right when we assemble the tarts.

Salted Caramel Ganache

25 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
50 grams unsweetened chocolate, chopped
75 grams milk chocolate, chopped
200 grams heavy cream
50 grams butter
10 grams glucose
105 grams sugar
large pinch of sea salt

Place the three types of chocolate in a large bowl. Place a large strainer over the bowl and reserve.

In a small pan, heat the heavy cream and butter and keep it warm.

In a separate tall pan, make a dry caramel with the glucose and sugar. Add the warm heavy cream and butter mixture slowly and whisk. The caramel will bubble up so stand away from the pan slightly and add it in stages if necessary. Whisk until all incorporated.

Pour this caramel over the chopped chocolate through the fine sieve. Add the sea salt and whisk until ganache is formed.

Be careful not to over whisk this ganache because it has a tendency to "break" if handled too much.

Chocolate Mousse

2 egg yolks
55 grams simple syrup
100 grams bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
205 grams heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Place the egg yolks and the simple syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk them together. Place this bowl over a double boiler and whisk the ingredients until light and foamy and thick. About 3-4 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the double boiler and place it in the machine. Whip the eggs until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch.

Add the melted and cooled chocolate to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl well.

Fold in the soft peak whipped cream and mix gently until all incorporated.

Assembling the Tarts

Blind bake the tart shells at 350F.

When tart shells are cooled, spoon a bit of the banana caramel into them. Top with the chopped peanuts.

Pour a thin layer of the salted caramel ganache into the tarts to cover the bottom layer. Refrigerate for a few minutes to set.

Place the chocolate mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a number 5 tip and pipe it on top of the set ganache.

Dust the tarts with a bit of cocoa powder, sprinkle with chopped peanuts and decorate with chocolate shavings.

They are best served slightly at room temperature so the ganache has a chance to soften a bit, so pull them out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving.

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Chocolate Mousse, Salted Caramel Ganache, Peanut and Banana Caramel Tarts

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Chocolate Pot de Creme, Banana Caramel, Gianduja Cream and Six Questions

That is a long post title just to tell you that this is a post about a fun tag and a dessert full of rich goodness.

You see, I was tagged by Esti last week and I wanted to create something super rich and sweet to entertain you while you read my response to her tag. I am terrible about keeping track of tags, memes, awards... I apologize ahead of time if any of you have tagged me before and I have not responded to it. I am just terrible at this.

As I said, this tag came from Esti, another one of my girl-crushes. I have many. Esti is from my hometown of Bilbao and when I found her blog, Pintame El Dia, I immediately fell in love with her drawings, poetry and references to music. She and I have never met, but it turns out we were in a lot of the same places at the same time right about 10 years ago. The tag involves answering some random questions about oneself, pretty silly ones but all in good fun. So here I go...

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Finishing my economics degree at the University of Deusto, going to a lot of concerts, trying to figure out what it was I wanted to do with myself after college and getting ready to pack my bags to move to the US. It all seems like a blur now.

What are the five things on your to do list today?

Make gluten free waffles for breakfast,
Return the movie "Control" which I absolutely loved,
Take my little boy to the pool,
Search for plane tickets to fly home this summer, and of course...
Call my mom on the phone.

Three snack you enjoy?

Berries, nuts (lots of them) and petit suisse (help me find the recipe please!).

Four places you have lived?

Amorebieta, Colorado Springs, Denver, Palm Beach County.

Five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

This is a question for my husband who plays the lottery every week... I'd rather not think about being a billionaire but it would probably involve getting to see my friends and family more often.

Six people you want to know more about?

Only six??? So here is my suggestion... if you are up for it, why don't you try to answer these questions in the comment section. I would love to learn more about you. You can answer just one question or all of them, if you'd like.



And if you haven't tuned me out just yet, let me tell you about these shot glasses. It starts with a layer of chocolate pot de creme that I baked in a very low oven in a water bath. Most people will be shocked that you can bake in glass, as long as it's in a low oven and in a water bath. Of course, there are many glass dishes that are made specifically to go in the oven and obviously in that case, you don't have to worry about anything. But if you are not sure, just bake in a water bath and in low heat, just like a did here.

I made a banana caramel to go on top of the chocolate pot de creme and finished it with a layer of whipped cream flavored with gianduja. I thought the combination of chocolate, banana and gianduja would help you read through this post. I hope you enjoyed it!

Chocolate Pot de Creme

500 ml heavy cream
50 grams sugar
5 egg yolks
125 grams 70% chocolate, chopped

In a saucepan, bring the cream and the sugar to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts completely. Temper into the egg yolks. Strain the custard through a fine sieve.

Pour the pot de creme custard in your shot glasses or ramekins. Place these on a sheetpan and bake in a water bath at 300 degrees until set. Because I used tall shot glasses, I baked them on a tall cake pan so I could add enough water to slowly bake the custard.

Banana Caramel

110 grams sugar
40 grams glucose or corn syrup
55 grams butter
225 grams ripe bananas, pureed

Puree the bananas. Place the glucose or corn syrup in a small saucepan. When it starts to melt and bubble up, sprinkle a third of the sugar on top. As soon as that starts to melt and caramelize, add some more sugar. Let that caramelize and add the rest of the sugar. It's ok to stir with a wooden spoon. If some crystalizes, it's ok, let it melt. Add the softened butter, stir and add the banana puree. At this point, turn the heat off but let any chunks of harden caramel melt on the stove.

Pour in a bowl and let it cool. Once cold, pipe on top of the chocolate layer.

Gianduja Cream

1 cup heavy cream
25 grams sugar
25 grams gianduja paste or Nutella

Whip all three ingredients together until stiff peaks form. Pipe this cream on top of the banana caramel.

And since I started talking about what I was doing 10 years ago, let me leave you with the music that was buzzing around in my head around that time...

Teenage Fanclub's "Sparky's Dream"
Surfin' Bichos' "Mi Hermano Carnal"
Red House Painter' "Brockwell Park"

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Chocolate Pot de Creme, Banana Caramel, Gianduja Cream and Six Questions

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Two Tarts and a Late Spring Cookout

I love when summer comes and people head out to the streets. It's a bit different here in Florida where summer is actually when people become more recluse and spend more time indoors due to the scorching heat and the unbearable humidity. I still love the idea of living outdoors though, with open windows, lawn chairs on the grass, kids playing in the pool, sidewalk chalk, concerts in the park...

We had a great cookout for Memorial Day weekend when we teamed up with our next door neighbors for a food filled day. Let's say it was not vegetarian friendly and I've been trying to do a gastro-intestinal cleanse ever since. The smoker was on all day long, friends came over, kids played in the pool, we ate way too much food, but of course, there is always room for dessert. What's an American holiday without a pie, right? Well, these are more like tarts since I used a sugar dough or pate sucree recipe rather than pate brisee. Both tarts use the same dough so the prep work was very easy.



When I make sugar dough or any dough for that matter, I make large amounts and then freeze in individual portions so whenever I am going to need to bake a pie, the dough is there ready for me. I just take it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw out in the refrigerator. Sometimes, I even pre-assemble a tart and freeze it raw but this only works for tarts that require no prebaking. So for example, I can fill a tart ring with raw sugar dough, pipe in frangipane, place fruit slices on top and freeze it. Then I can bake it when I need it. However, this doesn't work once the tart shell has been baked.

As for fillings, mousses or any custard with a high percentage of fat can be frozen but custards such as pastry cream will not hold in the freezer. They become watery and separate once thawed out. Pastry cream and fresh fruit tarts are best when they are eaten the same day they are prepared.

The banana cream tart was filled with pastry cream flavored with rum and creme de banana, topped with banana slices and sweetened cream. The cherry galette was super simple and really, I didn't need a recipe. Pitted some cherries, tossed them in a bit of flour, sugar and almond extract and placed them in the center of the dough.



Sugar Dough

8 oz unsalted butter, softened
4 oz powdered sugar
1 egg
12 oz flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg, mix and scrape bowl to ensure all ingredients are well mixed. Add the flour, salt and baking powder and mix until combined. Do not overmix.

Make a ball with the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Press down on the dough to create a flat disk. This will make the rolling easier later on. Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours.

Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thick and place it over your tart pan. Press down the sides, remove excess from the top and refrigerate for a couple of hours. This is very important so the dough doesn't shrink in the oven.

Dock it and bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let it cool and fill with the pastry cream

Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk
4 oz sugar
1.5 oz cornstarch
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
0.5 oz butter
Rum, optional
Creme de banana, optional

In a saucepan, bring the milk, half of the sugar and vanilla bean to a boil. Whisk the eggs, egg yolk, half of the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. When milk comes to a boil, temper it into the eggs. Return base to saucepan and cook until it comes to a boil and it thickens, whisking constantly.

Transfer the cream to a clean bowl and add the butter while whisking. When it cools slightly, cover it with plastic wrap making sure the plastic is in contact with the cream. This will avoid any skin to form.

Refrigerate until ready to assemble the tart.

Assemble the Banana Cream Tart

Spread a good amount of pastry cream on the bottom of the prebaked tart shell. Place thin slices of fresh banan on top covering the enrire surface of the pastry cream. Pipe sweetened whipped cream on top of the banana trying to cover all the banana and sprinkle shaved chocolate on top.

Assemble the Cherry Galette

Cut large circles of sugar dough with a large cookie cutter (about 8 inches in diameter). Place some pitted cherries in the middle, sprinkle with a little bit of sugar and a dot of butter on the top. Gather the outside edges of the dough towards the center folding a packet. Don't worry about being perfect since this is meant to be a rustic tart. Brush the sides of the dough with egg wash and sprinkle some coarse sugar on top. Sprinkle some slivered almonds on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until dough golden brown.

I hope you are really enjoying stone fruits like I am!

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Two Tarts and a Late Spring Cookout

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Chocolate, Banana, Salted Caramel and Peanuts

Chocolate mousse with banana cake, salted caramel cream, peanuts and baked chocolate meringues




As you might know, I sprained the back of my knee last week. It was hard to move around and I wasn't in the mood for baking. The only thing I made all week were the lemon and olive oil madeleines that I gave away. That's all. My brain was going a million miles an hour thinking about what I was going to make next but my body could not follow. So I waited a couple of days until I felt better and then the weekend came. Perfect timing.

The first morning cup of coffee tastes better on Saturday mornings for some reason. C. and I look forward to watching "At the movies with Ebert and Roeper". Definitely my favorite show all week. I also know that on weekends, I will have another set of hands to help with "curly cues" because sometimes it is very hard to bake and especially photograph when you have a hungry little boy tugging at your leg. If this boy doesn't turn out to be a cook, I'd be very surprised!

So I was really wanting to invest some time in the kitchen this weekend. I wanted to make something with lots of components, flavors and textures. The freezer was going to be my friend.


The cake is best when it has sat at room temperature for a few minutes


It really becomes very, very creamy



This cake is really not very complicated to make but it does require time. But let me tell you, it is well worth it. As C. said, the best dessert I have made in a long time. And if I may say, I agree with him. Creamy, crunchy, sweet, bitter, salty. All in one.

The filling is a thin slice of banana cake, a thin layer of salted caramel cream and salted peanut powder. I made the banana cake in my small rectangular loaf pans and then cut thin slices and out of those thin slices, I cut circles using a cookie cutter. Separately, I made a salted caramel cream. Poured this into a silicon mini muffin pan, topped it with salted peanut powder and placed the banana cake circle on top. The muffin pan goes in the freezer until it hardens. This will allows to place the filling inside the chocolate mousse in one block and keep a perfect shape. This is how you obtain perfectly straight lines inside the mousse.

I used a very simple chocolate mousse recipe that can be whipped up in 10 minutes. Literally. I lined my aluminum ring molds with parchment paper. The mousse is placed in a pastry bag and some of it piped into the mold. Then the frozen filling is inserted, some more mousse piped on top, another layer of filling and finished with some more chocolate mousse. The ring molds are then placed into the freezer so the mousse hardens completely and is easy to remove.

The cake is finished with baked chocolate meringue sticks. When I make baked meringue, I tend to bake different shapes because they make great cookies. I will be making some milk jam later on this week and will sandwich some of the chocolate meringue cookies with some creamy, super sweet milk jam. I can't wait!








So here are all the recipes step by step. I wish I had another person working with me so they could take photographs while I bake and then I could post step by step photos. For now, it's impossible. It would take me forever to do both.

Chocolate Meringue

150 grams organic egg whites
150 grams sugar
150 grams powdered sugar, sifted
25 grams good quality cocoa powder (I used Valrhona), sifted

Whip the egg whites until they are almost fully whipped. Slowly start adding the granulated sugar while the mixer is still running. Whip until we obtain a shiny, stiff meringue but make sure not to overwhip or it will dry out.

Sprinkle a third of the sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder and fold with a spatula. Repeat until all the powdered sugar and cocoa powder have been folded in.

Place meringue into a pastry bag with number 4 pastry tip and pipe lines onto a sheetpan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 200 degree oven for an hour. Let the meringues cool and then, store them in an airtight container until ready to use.







Banana Cake

makes 3 small loaves

300 grams organic ripe bananas, pureed
250 grams sugar
3 organic eggs
200 grams sunflower oil
200 grams unbleached all purpose flour
4 grams sea salt
4 grams aluminum free baking soda

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the first 4 ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and whisk until all the flour is incorporated. Divide the batter into 3 small loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees until done. Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake to test for doneness.

Let the cakes cool. Take one of the loaves, and cut into 2 mm slices. With a cookie cutter that is the same diameter that your mini muffin pan cavities, cut circles out of the banana cake slices. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Caramel Cream

Makes enough to fill a mini muffin pan that has 8 cavities

120 grams organic heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split
30 grams sugar
2 organic egg yolks
1/2 sheet of gelatin
1 tsp sea salt

Roasted and salted peanuts, powdered or finely chopped

Sprinkle the sugar on a small saucepan. Make a dark caramel with the sugar. Add the vanilla bean and the cream that we have previously warm up. The caramel will bubble up when we add the cream so make sure to be careful not to get burnt and whisk constantly.

Temper this mixture into the egg yolks. It will be so hot and the amounts we are working with are so small, that there is no need to return this mixture back to the heat. The temperature of the caramel will pasteurize the egg yolks.

Add the softened gelatin to the base and strain the whole thing through a fine sieve.

Pour this into the mini muffin pan. We want to have about 4 mm high of the cream. then we will sprinkle some powdered peanuts on top of the cream and we will place the slices of the banana cake on top. The whole thing goes in the freezer until we are ready to assemble the cake.

Chocolate Mousse

makes enough for 4 ring molds

150 grams 70% chocolate, melted
450 grams organic heavy cream, whipped to soft peak.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Remove from the heat. Add a third of the soft peak whipped cream to the chocolate while whisking. Work quickly so the chocolate doesn't set too fast. Add the rest of the cream but this time fold using a spatula.

Now that we have the mousse made, we should assemble the cake. If we transfer the mousse to the refrigerator, it will harden too much and we will not be able to pipe it as smoothly into the ring molds. So have all your components ready to go. Mise en place people, mise en place!

Assemble the Cake

Cut parchment paper strips that will fit the inside of your ring molds and line the molds with the paper.

Place the rings on top of a sheetpan lined with parchment or a silicon mat.

Pipe some mousse inside each one of the molds. Insert the filling disks inside each mold. Top with a little bit more mousse, another disk of the filling and top with some more mousse.

Flatten the top of the mold eliminating any excess mousse. We want a flat and smooth top.

Place these in the freezer to set. When they are frozen, push the mousse out of the mold and place it on your plate or cake board. We are going to let them thaw out at this point so remember that once thawed out, they will be hard to move to another plate.

When they are softer, place the baked meringue sticks all around and top with broken pieces. Serve right away so the meringues don't become too soggy.




This is what happens when you try to photograph cakes in the middle of the afternoon!!!

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Chocolate, Banana, Salted Caramel and Peanuts

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Pumpkin and Bananas

I was hesitant to post this recipe now although I made it this morning for breakfast. I know it is still winter everywhere else in the country but here in Florida is warm and I have been dreaming about strawberries and nectarines. In my head pumpkin feels too seasonal. My mom is here visiting and she loves my banana bread recipe (she and everyone else in my family!) so she asked me to make it for her. How could I say no, right?

My curly, blonde haired boy also loves this bread. I make big batches of it and bake it in small loaf pans, then save one for that day and freeze the rest. It's a healthy snack. I cut it up in small cubes and put it in a zip lock bag for him to munch on in the car or in the stroller. He says "ama, coco, ama, coco". Anything sweet is coco for him.



Pumpkin and Banana Bread with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

144 grams ripe organic bananas
144 grams organic canned pumpkin puree
125 grams sugar
125 grams demerara sugar
3 organic eggs
200 grams canola oil
200 grams organic whole wheat flour
4 grams sea salt
4 grams baking soda
30 grams organic roasted pumpkin seeds

Extra raw pumpkin seeds for the topping
Demerara sugar for the topping

Roast pumpkin seeds in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, salt and baking soda.


In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, bananas, sugar, eggs and oil. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the roasted pumpkin seeds.

Pour batter into the greased molds and top with raw pumpkin seeds and a little bit of demerara sugar. Bake at 350 degrees.


Since my parents have been here I feel like we haven't gone to visit our cutie pie neighbor Stella as often, so today we wrapped up one of the pumpkin banana breads and brought it over to her. I think she really liked it and she is a hard one to please!


I have been getting a lot of questions regarding the food packaging I use for my baked goods so I thought I would share that with you. And what is my secret source? None other than Martha Stewart! She has a beautiful line of cookie boxes, ribbon, paper and other crafting products that I go nuts over. You can get them at Michaels or online at Martha Stewart Crafts.

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Pumpkin and Bananas

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