Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake

Salt-kissed. What a name. Perfect for our Second First-Kissed Anniversary, I thought. It's super easy and fuss free. I reduced the volume to 1/4 to fit a heart-shaped mould. I should have reduced it to just 1/2 so I could fill the Teddy bear-mould, too.
For some reason they don't sell buttermilk here (although I vaguely remember seeing it once at Central Chitlom). If you can't find it either, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and top it up to one cup with milk. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
I like the crunchiness that came from the whole wheat flour. I would add more strawberries (or other berries) next time and not skim on the sugar topping.

Ingredients:

· 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

· 1 tablespoon baking powder

· 1/2 cup brown sugar

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 2 eggs

· 1 cup buttermilk

· 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled a bit

· zest of 2 lemons

· 1 cup of raspberries (strawberries, in my case.)

· 3 tablespoons large grain sugar

· 1 teaspoon large grain salt (Sea salt works well here.)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease and flour (or line bottom with parchment paper) one 11″ tart pan. (I used a heart-shaped mould)

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl whisk eggs and buttermilk, then melted butter and zest. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix.

Spoon batter into prepared pan, pushing out to edges. Drop berries across the top. (I squished them in a bit too.) Sprinkle with large grain sugar and then salt. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until cake is set and slightly golden.

Japanese for Second First-Kiss Anniversary

So I named the first time we kissed. I have a mixed feeling: 1. it's been two years. 2. it feels longer than two years. Both in good sense. It feels as though we should have known each other longer than two years. And at the same time, given the events and circumstances surrounding us, it's incredible that 2 years have quietly gone by without much warning.
Same time last year, I marked our First First-Kiss Anniversary with a handmade card. On one page it's a camel posing in front of a temple. It symbolizes the location and witness to our very first kiss: in front of Golden Temple in Yunnan, China, next to a camel. You can tell I made the card because I screwed up the lamination.

True to the spirit of "handmade" and "original", I decided to mark our Second First-Kiss Anniversary with a skill I had yet to develop 365 days ago - COOKING. Not very creative? But I'm making a huge step by going JAPANESE!!! To show how serious I am about the idea, I bought a few Japanese dining wares, too.
What an experience shopping for Japanese ingredients. For example, there's Nori that I needed for sushi roll, not to be confused with Ao-Nori that's to be sprinkled on the Okonomiyaki. And there's also dashi that come with different packaging, forms, shapes, brands and flavours. What about Katsuoboshi and Katsuo? I also owe it to the Japanese housewife who kindly motioned me for Tonkatsu sauce as I was desperately looking for Okonomiyaki sauce.

I learned a very important lesson this afternoon as I was attending to the cauliflower - ALWAYS wash your vegetables. There was a worm on one of the florets. I got freaked out at first and relieved after - I knew people at Fuji didn't lie and sell me non-organic cauliflower. The worm can testify to the non-usage of insecticide.

And so to display my love for the man whom I co-habit with, I made for him Chawan Mushi, Cauliflower and Quinoa Sushi Roll, Osaka-style Okonomiyaki and a non-Japanese inspired Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake. In return, he got for me a wristlet that is ABSOLUTELY me and his happy face.