My Life Lately

Last weekend involved a quick trip to the East Coast to support my rockstar sister and watch her run a half marathon. I was exhausted just watching her cross the finish line, but it was such a proud sister moment. 13.1 miles – that is no easy feat. Anyways, the trip involved a lot of eating, as usual. As told by instagram (you can follow me here!), this has been my life lately.

1. Warm salted caramel apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream just might be the perfect Friday pick-me-up.

2. Almost finished with Ariana Huffington’s Thrive. This quote stood out to me: The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. – William James. Important (but not easy) to remember.

3. These D.C. townhouses are stop-dead-in-your-tracks-stunning. The basket of flowers on the door is too pretty. When can I move in?

4. You can’t not get cupcakes when you walk by Sprinkles. I mean, come on.

5. Room service is one of life’s overlooked luxuries. Just look at those cookies!

6. Stopping for a quick picture of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial while trying to find my sister as she ran 13.1 miles. No big deal.

{Photos by Lauren}

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Treats for Fall

These are some fun treats that I am loving this fall.  I don’t think you can have too many candles, blankets, or pumpkin spice lattes!

Vanilla and Cinnamon Candle – Anthropologie, $16 | Squirrel Nutcracker – Fishs Eddy, $25 | Frankenweenie – A Theater Near You on 10/05/2012 | Kearny Spice Throw – Crate & Barrel, $70 |  Magic Unicorn Mask – Fred Flare, $40 |  Pumpkin Spice Latte – Starbucks, Prices vary

What are you treating yourself to this season?

Eat & Watch: Cake and Gentleman Prefer Blondes

Pink Champagne Cake layered with Peach Preserves and Vanilla Buttercream / Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953)

Marilyn Monroe, the ultra-glamorous icon, is charming and effervescent in her movies. With her breathy voice and doe-eyes, she made (and still seems to make) the world fall in love with her with ease. I recently watched Gentleman Prefer Blondes and wished I had a cake covered in glitter to accompany me, because naturally, when I think Marilyn, I think diamonds and sparkle. For a glamorous night-in, the combination of Gentleman Prefer Blondes and pink champagne cake is just the ticket!

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Marble Cake

Just like chocolate and vanilla soft serve ice cream, I love eating desserts that are swirled. Marble cake gives you the best of both desserts – chocolate cake and vanilla cake. Marble cake never fails to remind me of my childhood, as I would drool while watching my mom swirl the chocolate and vanilla batter with a toothpick. I opted for a pan that made the cake more of a pound cake shape, but a 9 x 5 pan would have worked just as well. Next time, I would add more chocolate layers for a better swirl in the center of the cake, but regardless, there were enough chocolate and vanilla flavors in each bite.

Ingredients

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a cake or loaf pan and set aside until the batter is ready to pour in.
2. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Set aside 1/3 of the batter.
4. In a small bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the cake batter that you just set aside. Mix well.
5. Spoon batters into the prepared pan in 2 layers, and alternate spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate. To create the marbling effect, run a table knife (or wooden skewer/toothpick) through the batters in a swirling motion.
6. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Enjoy!