This weekend, I got to meet Deb of Smitten Kitchen at her Houston book signing. We talked about marzipan.
I was so excited. Even though our interaction mainly consisted of the following:
Deb: “Are you Erika?”
Me: “Yup.” I watch her start to sign her name in my book, and figure it’s now or never. “I have to tell you—I made your pistachio marzipan cake for my dad’s birthday and he doesn’t usually like sweets, but he loved it.”
Deb looks up from signing my book and says, “Oh, I love that cake; I made it for my birthday years ago. Did you make the marzipan or buy it like I suggested?”
I tell her I bought it when I made the cake, but I recently made it myself and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
“I find it’s all almond extract when I make it,” she says. “It just takes so much to make it taste like the store-bought kind. Did you find that?”
I”m kind of tongue-tied at this point and maybe omit the fact that actually no, I was a totally laze and cheapo and used vanilla extract and say, “yeah, it did have a milder flavor…”
She was SO nice and genuine. I could tell from the feet-tapping of the ladies body-guarding her and the long line behind me that she was in a bit of a time crunch, but she still took the time to devote a moment of her attention to conversation with me. What a classy lady. I was starstruck.
The book signing was supposed to consist of a short talk + Q&A + book signing, but I think she was a little under the weather, so mostly skipped the short talk. Or made it really REALLY short.
Her opening was basically this: “Everyone wants to hear an exciting life story, but my life story is this: I like to cook and I wrote a book. Now who has questions?”
She was so cute—a little hoarse, maybe a little weary and clearly excited to get back to her husband and adorable button of a child, but also clearly a little thrilled to be there (only the 34th or so stop on her book tour) and sharing her cooking knowledge with everyone. Utterly endearing.
For the next half hour or so, I learned a LOT. A lot you can learn from reading her book, but I found it infinitely more fascinating to hear it from Deb herself. Since I’m obsessed with Smitten Kitchen and her over five million viewers a month show that a lot of other people are too, I’m sharing a lot of her answers to the questions asked during the signing below. I promise there’s a recipe at the bottom of all of this, which you can totally skip to!
Here we go:
- She uses supermarket staples but splurges on cocoa and salt. She regularly uses store-brand butter, flour, etc., but her splurge items are Valrhona cocoa and flaky maldon sea salt. And grapefruits from Texas, her yearly splurge for herself that she says she guards even from her husband.
- Developing a recipe can take up to 20 tries. Her recipe development process starts with an idea—she cited rye bread English muffins as a recent idea. She then researches different recipes until she finds recipes close to what she thinks she wants. Next, she’ll write up a recipe that she thinks will work, incorporating the flavors of both, print it out and try it. In the kitchen, she’s constantly writing notes all over the recipe, essentially re-writing it. Then she’ll go back and tweak it until it’s just the way she imagined, which she said sometimes “takes only 2-4 tries. Others take 6-8 tries and some have taken 20.” 20 TRIES. CAN YOU IMAGINE?
- She doesn’t like cooking bacon. The thing she says she avoids cooking in her kitchen are smelly foods—like fish. Latkes apparently have a very stubborn fragrance, especially in an apartment with little ventilation. “And bacon,” she added. But that didn’t stop her from recommending cooking a whole rash of bacon in the oven to a woman who asked what her recommendation for a brunch for 40 people would be (apparently it minimizes the smell).
- Brunch for a crowd would be eggs, a sweet dish, bacon and yogurt. To the woman who asked the above question, Deb recommended a big eggy casserole that you can prepare the night before, like her spinach strata, a sweet dish like her cinnamon French toast that can also be popped in the oven the morning of, a bunch of bacon, some kind of bread, and perhaps yogurt with maple granola “for that aunt who’s always on a diet.”
- Her kitchen really IS tiny. She tries to do as much research as possible before in order to minimize her time in her kitchen, which is actually extremely tiny.
- She’s bothered by cooking. It wasn’t hard to see why she’s become so successful when she talked about why she cooks. “I’m a little bothered by cooking, if that makes any sense,” she said. She went on to clarify that sometimes what inspires her is eating a dish at a restaurant, for example, and not having it taste quite the way she wanted it. So she’ll go into her kitchen and fiddle until she has something that fits the bill of her imagination.
- She hadn’t planned on photographing The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. She thought Knopf would get her a photographer to photograph her book, but they wanted her to do it. In retrospect, she admitted that was definitely the right way to go. “I would’ve been like, ‘oh, that’s not quite how I would have done it,’ and I just would have been a total nightmare to some poor photographer,” she said in her oh-so-cute Deb way. Knopf wanted the book to look like Smitten Kitchen and of course, it totally does, thanks to Deb’s hand.
- She wants you to make HER roast chicken. The reason why Deb blogs is because after testing a recipe so many times in search of perfection, she can’t help but share it with readers. She wants you to use HER roast chicken recipe because she’s done the testing to get it right—why use anything else?
This last point made me look at her blog in a whole different light. Of course, part of the reason I go back to Smitten Kitchen again and again is because everything I’ve ever made from the blog has been delicious. But since I always read recipes with modifications in mind, following a recipe exactly is always a little hard.
So now, it feels even more blasphemous to take one of her recipes and alter it. But I have good reason. And here are three reasons why you could/should/might alter it too:
a) You have a large container of yogurt flirting aggressively with its expiration date that your boyfriend thoughtfully bought for you and that you didn’t eat because you suddenly decided you were on a non-yogurt kick and then went travelling for Thanksgiving.
b) You are health conscious and willing to sacrifice a small percentage of the hard-won Smitten Kitchen taste perfection in the name of slightly better health.
c) You hate sour cream.
Look at that. Do you think that’s lacking in taste? Even modified, Smitten Kitchen always pulls through.
Notes
This cake is the total kahuna for using up Greek yogurt. I looked at many recipes for “Greek yogurt coffeecake,” but other recipes I found used 1 cup at most. Here, I swapped in a whopping two cups of yogurt for the sour cream.
I’ve made this cake both ways, full fat and modified with Greek yogurt. The original way is incredibly tender and tight-crumbed with a crunchy, sugary lid. This version is a tiny bit chewier, but it still has enough sugar, chocolate chips and fat to clear the taste bar. If the “chewy” part totally grosses you out, try using full-fat or 2% fat Greek yogurt instead of 0% (what I used).
I have a feeling using 6 tablespoons of butter in this instead swapping out 2 for oil (shown below) would also yield slightly more desirable results, but I’m no Deb–I only tested this once, and I was 98% satisfied. Just curious about that fat swap…
Adjust the chocolate chip/cinnamon sugar ratios to your taste. If you’re going for a healthier version, you can definitely cut down on the chocolate chips and sugar without sacrificing a lot of taste.
Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs separated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups Greek yogurt see notes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- Filling + Topping:
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate bars
- 1/2 cup 100 grams granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. If not nonstick coated, cover the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper. Set pan aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat in oil, egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl. Alternately mix in Greek yogurt and then dry ingredients into butter mixture until both are used up and the batter is smooth and very thick. In a medium bowl, beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter.
- In a small dish, whisk together sugar and cinnamon for filling and topping.
- Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon-sugar mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Dollop remaining cake batter over filling in spoonfuls. Use a rubber or offset spatula to gently spread it over the filling and smooth the top. Sprinkle batter with remaining cinnamon-sugar and remaining chocolate chips. With the palm of your hand, ever-so-gently press the chocolate chips a bit into the batter. No need to submerge them, you just want to make sure they adhere bit.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Laura Dembowski (@piesandplots)
Very cool that you got to meet Deb! I would have told her about making the cake too. I made almond paste and looooved it. I’ll have to try making marizpan. Almond extract is totally worth it. You’ll be shocked at how often you use it and it lasts a really long time.
erika
Mmm you definitely should! It’s totally delicious, especially layered with pistacho and ganache. Or ganache and banana cake. And you’ve sold me–I am going to go buy some almond extract the next time I’m at the store! What do you use it in?
vic@cakebook
amaze!
starstruck!
wish I could have been there to meet deb too!! 🙂
vic@cakebook
amaze!
starstruck!
wish I could have met deb too 🙂
erika
Haha that is exactly how I was! Just starstruck 🙂
I hope you find some chance to meet her someday! She is so cool!
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic
Smitten Kitchen was one of the first blogs I ever followed, and I’ve made a lot of her recipes already! This yogurt coffee cake sounds delicious, and will go on my baking list 🙂
myhealthyohana
Looks amazing, I love when recipes use greek yogurt to sub for some of the fat! I think we’ll make this for our Christmas Day breakfast, that way we’ll have something a little healthier 🙂
I loved reading the Q and A with Deb, 20 tries?? That’s a lot of taste testing!!
erika
Aww that sounds like a great idea! I might have to do that too, now that you mention it 🙂 This would be great with coffee or hot chocolate while unwrapping presents!
AND I KNOW! She is a crazy (but incredible) woman. So glad we have someone like her to test out the recipes for us!
Christine (@cookingcrusade)
Wow, that is so exciting you got to meet Deb from Smitten Kitchen! I absolutely love her blog and recipes!! Your sum up of the day was written so well and I really liked learning all those little facts about her 🙂 Very cool!
erika
I’m glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much! I know, she seems to be one of the first bloggers everyone followed…such an icon 🙂
petit4chocolatier
Excellent post! I loved reading your well written summary of your visit. This cake is absolutely delicious!!
erika
Thanks so much Judy! It was an incredible experience 🙂
Mich - Piece of Cake
Hi, this cake looks delicious! And you lucky girl, for getting to meet Deb 🙂
erika
I knowww! It was just a great experience. Thanks so much!
Bam's Kitchen
What an awesome experience for you. We learn from everyone we have an encounter with and it is even better with face to face interaction. I love your greek yogurt cake and it looks very moist. Chocolate and cinnamon together how can you go wrong.
erika
So true, Bam! On all counts 🙂
Healthy Glow Nutrition
What a cool experience to have her sign your book! 🙂 I love this recipe, I wonder if it would work using almond flour?
erika
I know, I still get a little giddy when I look at my brand spankin’ new, signed book. I’ve never baked anything with only almond flour and I hear it acts a little differently than flour…but that is an interesting question and I’d love to try it out. If you happen to try, let me know what happens!
Healthy Glow Nutrition
It’s super exciting! I have one with chef Michael Smith from Canada. It was fun, so I can totally relate 🙂 almond flour does act very differently and I have been using it quite a bit lately but only in recipes that call for it. I will have to try experimenting to see how it will work subbed in normal flour recipes and see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted for sure 😉
yummychunklet
Ooh, these sound delicious with Greek yogurt!
erika
Thanks, I thought it was a great swap!
Allison
This was such a fun blog post to read! I’m a big fan of Smitten Kitchen and I loved hearing even more details about Deb and her cooking style/preferences, as well as your insights on all of it. So thank you for this post (and recipe)! …I’m so jealous you got to meet her, too! 🙂
erika
Thanks Allison, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I hope you get to meet her soon, she really is just so sweet!
Allison
I hope so, too! My sister just met her at a book-signing in Chicago, but I don’t think she’s coming to Santa Barbara on her book tour… it’s too small of a town.
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
Awwww that sounds like such a wonderful meet/book signage! Makes me like her more too 🙂
And this coffee cake looks DELICIOUS-and I love Greek yogurt, too, of course!
erika
Haha yes, you are the goddess of Greek yogurt! Thanks so much! 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
What a great post!! How wonderful to learn how personable Deb is in person. Thanks for sharing your experience. And I love this coffee cake – I’m pinning it right now to make sure I make it. I infinitely prefer yogurt to sour cream!! And your photos as usual are stunning 🙂
erika
Thank YOU for stopping by and letting me know what you thought! I really appreciate it 🙂 And I’m so glad–I think sour cream is just not very appealing at all but I LOVE Greek yogurt and they’re such similar consistencies! Why NOT use it right?
And thank you again :))
girlinafoodfrenzy
Perfect! Sounds like an amazing experience, definitely inspirational and thank you for sharing with us all too 🙂
erika
Yay thanks Alice 🙂
Green Door Hospitality
I loved hearing about the book signing with Deb! She was in Austin this past weekend but I couldn’t go. So, yay… I can live vicariously through your post! 🙂
Kenley
erika
Oh no that’s so sad!!! I was in Austin a few weekends ago and saw the sign for her visit up outside (I was shopping at Anthropologie)…but I’m glad you got to get a taste through my post 🙂 I hope you get to meet her soon!
Leah
This is a fantastic post! I loved learning about all the tidbits you gleaned from going to Deb’s book signing. Brilliantly written!
erika
Thanks so much Leah 🙂 You’re too sweet!
elizabethranger
great post! I never think to organize my experiences so well, and this was so informative I felt like I was there.
Also, I swap yogurt for sour cream all the time (unless I’m making something as a gift or for the holidays). I think the slight chewiness is great!
erika
Aw thank you so much, that’s so nice of you to say 🙂 I’m glad you like the chewiness because I definitely don’t mind it at all…it makes me sad when people are like, ‘oh this is definitely healthy bleh’
Stephanie
Oh my goodness, I love this post! Reading it makes me an even bigger fan of Deb/Smitten Kitchen. Your cake looks amazing, and if you make it a bit more healthy, that means you can eat an extra piece, right?!? 😉
erika
Aw YAY! That’s the goal. The book signing totally made me a bigger fan too 🙂 And YES definitely 😉
gottagetbaked
What an awesome experience! I’d love to go and see Deb. The Smitten Kitchen is one of my favourite blogs. Thanks for recapping so much of what she said – there are some great tips in there and I love getting a glimpse into her though process. Your modified version of her cake looks delish – so light and moist. And of course, when it’s studded with chocolate, it makes me want to eat it even more!
erika
Thanks Nancy 🙂 I also loved getting that insight into her thought process–I’ve always wondered how she does it! And yes, this cake is SO good. As soon as I gave the rest of it away, I immediately started wondering if I could make a single-serving recipe for it…
squishymonster
AMAZING! Every time I visit your page, I can be sure of hearing my tummy grumble =)
erika
Aww thank you 🙂 Same for you, I love reading about the delectable things you make AND eat!
The Healthy Flavor
That’s a great recipe and looks delish! I agree with what she said about creating recipes too…I create all my own and it takes multiple tries most of the time. It’s very time consuming and can be costly, but I’m passionate about getting the recipe right before I share it! It makes me a much better baker too! Cake looks delicious!
erika
Thanks Brandi! Yes, I can definitely tell–all of your recipes look very precise and well-tested. Trying one of your recipes is on my to-do list!