For Mom’s birthday, I gave her a list of options of “celebration desserts” I’d been wanting to try, and she picked the hazelnut brown butter cake from Smitten Kitchen.  (I know, you’re probably starting to think that’s the only place I ever get ideas.  Maybe I have a little food crush?  I actually found this one via Not Derby Pie though.)  This cake was fantastic — nutty, dense and almost chewy but not too heavy, just sweet and rich enough.  I have to admit, I was worried this wasn’t going to be chocolatey enough for a birthday cake for Mom. (A couple years ago I made this torte, which is basically just chocolate, butter, and cream.  We could barely stick in the candles.)  But here, the layer of ganache, while thin, was dark and rich enough that it was just perfect.  And wait until you see what I did with the leftover hazelnuts, coming later this week!

I made caramelized hazelnuts to decorate the top, using instructions from Tartelette.  However, I thought some pictures were in order to better illustrate the technique, so I’ve detailed what I did after the jump.  If you want the recipe for the cake, I’ll send you over to the Smitten Kitchen.  By the way, the cake has very little flour in it, so I think it could probably be made gluten free pretty easily.

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I made this gluten-free quick bread for a brunch several weeks ago, and now I’ve finally found the time to write it up. This is my first foray into gluten-free baking, and it turned out surprisingly well. It seemed like a good breakfast bread alternative for those who for one reason or another have to stay clear of gluten. I can (and do!) eat as much flour as I want, but I really enjoyed this bread, too. It’s healthier than most breakfast breads since most of the sweetener comes from the fruit, with just a little bit of honey. And the nuts, while adding wonderful flavor, also mean that it will stick with you better than the normal carbohydrate only quick bread. It’s a winner all around!

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