Hello! Hi! How are you? In just a couple of weeks, my book Sweeter off the Vine, will be out in the world and hopefully shortly after that it will be on your kitchen counter covered in flour, butter, and fruit splatters. It is scary and surreal that the publication day is almost here, and it is hard to put into words the crazy feelings I am feeling right now, but mostly I am excited and thankful that March 22nd is just around the corner! I am also SO very excited to share this video that Pete made over the last year with you today. It really shows what the book is all about - my very favorite topic - luscious fruit desserts. We filmed everywhere from our crooked kitchen in Brooklyn to some of my favorite farms in Upstate New York and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I hope you love this peek into the book, and some of my favorite recipes!

Sweeter off the Vine: Fruit Desserts for Every Season by Yossy Arefi

This collection of recipes truly highlights what is best at the market, all year round - from Spring’s juicy strawberries (pistachio pound cake with strawberries in lavender sugar) and cherries (cherry and chocolate turnovers with spelt puff), through Summer's incredible abundance (spelt and roasted stone fruit shortcakes, raspberry pink peppercorn sorbet, currant and gooseberry buckle), Fall’s quiet bounty (pear pie with crème fraiche caramel, caramelized apple fritters), and Winter’s bright citrus (gingery lime posset, tangerine cream pie) there is a little something for everyone!

Some advance copies have made their way out into the world. Check #sweeteroffthevine on Instagram to see some more sneak peeks! I'll be back soon with more information about a launch party and some event dates (some on the west coast too!) and I'll add them to the BOOK tab above as soon as they are confirmed.

Sweeter off the Vine: Fruit Desserts for Every Season is available to pre-order now and will be out in stores on March 22, 2016! Pre-order through any of the links below or from your favorite bookseller. Thank you!!

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | Google Books | iBooks

Thank you to Pete for the most beautiful cookbook trailer, EVER and Hippo Campus for the killer song “Sophie So” they are touring right now, and you should probably go see them.

walnut cake with beet tinted glaze | apt 2b baking co

It has been a weird winter in NYC with mild weather, punctuated by a "weather event" every now and then - like a few days of historically cold temperatures or a few feet (!) of snow that was gone in a matter of days. Call me crazy, but I love bundling up and crunching around snowy streets (I even like shoveling the sidewalk!) and I have been pretty bummed that we are getting all of the barren trees and grayness of this season without the blanket of fresh white snow every couple of weeks.

I have decided that the cure for all of this boring gray is a heavy dose of Technicolor in the form of fun and colorful baking projects . Last week, I posted some seriously gorgeous matcha glazed chocolate bundts and for this cake I returned to my old friend - the humble red beet. Just a spoonful of beet puree will tint a whole batch of glaze the loveliest pink hue, without much effect on the flavor. The walnut cake is the dense, poundcake sort that is still great after a couple of days on the counter, and is perfect with a cup of coffee.

Walnut Cake with Beet Tinted Glaze

makes one 4x10-inch or 9x5-inch loaf cake

Walnut Cake

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (280g)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (100g) toasted walnuts, very finely chopped

18 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºF and butter and flour a loaf pan.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and walnuts together in a small bowl.

In the bowl of a standing mixer beat the butter and the sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time mixing for 30 seconds in between each egg.

Combine the vanilla extract and milk, then alternately add the flour mixture and the milk in 3 additions. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure that the batter is evenly mixed.

Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean 45-60 minutes. Cool the cake on a rack for 20 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a rack to cool completely. Glaze.

Beet Tinted Glaze

You can, of course, add more beet puree for a more saturated glaze. You may need to add a bit more confectioner's sugar to get the right consistency.

2 cups (200g) confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon beet puree

2 teaspoons lemon juice

seeds from one vanilla bean

2-4 tablespoons milk

Whisk the confectioners sugar, beet puree, lemon juice, and vanilla bean seeds together. Whisk in the milk, a couple of teaspoons at a time until a thick, but pourable glaze forms. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and let it set for about 30 minutes before slicing.