apple, cinnamon and browned butter cake

             
               I never wanted to post iPhone photos here, but the cake is so good I just couldn't keep myself from sharing the recipe, and recipes without illustration never appeal to me: hence, very bad quality of shots (second thought: which are not too appealing either, but I don't even have access to Photoshop at the moment) and a very good, very easy cake to make. Maybe even now. While listening to Joni Mitchell.

Apple, cinnamon and browned butter cake:
(slightly adapted from White Plate)

Ingredients:
2 large apples
4 eggs
120g butter
120ml milk
150g sugar
1 pack sugar with real vanilla (or an equivalent)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
200g flour
+ 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon for topping

Instructions:

1. Peel and core the apples, slice them thinly. Set aside. Preheat oven to 150*C. Line a 20cm round tin with baking paper, butter it so the cake doesn't stick. Set aside.

2. Make the butter: melt it on medium low heat until foamy. Then, lower the heat a little and keep on cooking until tiny browny pieces form on the bottom of the pot, mixing from time to time. Browned butter will smell very nutty and sweet. If this seems too compliacated or too fussy (it takes roughly 10 minutes and a pot that's hard to clean), you can always skip that part and just melt the butter until liquid and in its regular color and go straight to point 3. But I think it's worth the additional effort!

3. Mix eggs with sugar until frothy. Slowly add in butter and milk.

4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and vanilla sugar. Add to egg mixture.

5. Pour the batter into the tin. Lay out apple slices so they cover the batter completely; it should look like an apple mosaic. The centre is tricky but here's help: sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top to a) cover lack of skills b) add amazing crust and cinnamon-y flavor that makes life so much better.

6. Bake for 60-70 minutes, but test with a toothpick before taking out. Let stand for some 15 minutes in an open, turned-off but still warn oven. We ate it warm. It was delicious. I think it could benefit from vanilla ice cream on the side, but tea was perfect nevertheless.

Have a nice evening!

you don't have to bring your booze

        The prospect of moving out to an apartment becomes more and more real every day, and, in between looking for offers on the Internet, I've been some time clicking through countless "interiors inspiration" boards and folders. There's an infinite number of those. Wait. I've actually been doing that for most of the time, with occasional breaks during which I would visit renting sites. It's just so much easier and more fun. Everyone agrees. Good. We can move on.

          I haven't been looking for home bars specifically, but suddenly, boom! there's a collection of over twenty photos of these. I don't think that moving out of dorm will lead me to uncontrolled drinking and that I will develop an alcohol dependency; if that were to be, dorm and lack of parental supervision would have sufficed. So no worries! By the way, as you scroll down, you'll notice that there are other things that can make for a home bar in my book. Tea and the grandma side of me are a match made in heaven! 

(A dedicated cabinet that will also hold glasses + a geographically themed print)

(a simple tray with weird stuff on the side, blue-ish framed print seems to be a must)

 (a little bit industrial trolleys - they come with wheels! A mobile drinks island! Perfect!)

(girlier thanks to the splash of pink and sparkling water/soda included; we prefer our liquor softer)  

(a shelf dedicated to coffee and tea equipment - yes, that counts as a bar to me, and yes, that probably makes me more excited and would probably get more use in my home)

(a lovely picture of a tea/coffee tray - framed prints included! - just because I couldn't and didn't really want to stop myself. Ah, that sunlight!)

sources: I still need to get a hang of keeping track of sources, because my current "just saving under a random name" system doesn't prove successful. Any tips? Also, if you know the source of a photo, please, let me know, so I could credit properly.

1. unknown // cupcakes and cashmere 

2. the wyatt hotel // unknown

3. Rodney Graham by Jennilee Marigomen for Free&Easy // unknown

4. unknown // unknown

5. unknown // unknown

6. unknown 

#3 you can go your own way

         Here is another mix of songs that I've been listening to lately *awaits cheering*. On a mission to find a swimming pool nearby, I got lost more than once, only to remind myself that getting lost in a city is one of the best things that can happen on a fall evening (as long as your phone can navigate you). And this is what I have been listening to on those trips, some of the songs picked up in stores/cafes I went to (again, thank God for phones and Shazam). Good for walking, great for biking, but best for listening to when alone/allowed to sing along.
        Download here. 

Track list:

1. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

2. Leave House - Caribou

3. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - Tame Impala 

4. Before I'm Done - Toro y Moi

5. Friday Night - The Darkness

6. Take 'Em Up - Shit Robot

7. Private Affair - The Virgins 

8. Private Universe - Crowded House

9. Moonage Daydream - David Bowie

10. Chinatown - Wild Nothing

11. Brothers-  The War on Drugs 

12. Common People - Pulp

13. Magic Powder - Minitel Rose

14. Same Old Scene - Roxy Music