What Mom Really Wants

These melt-in-your-mouth ricotta baked donuts have a beautifully tight crumb that makes every bite incredibly rich and satisfying. Their tender and sturdy crumb makes them perfect to hold one in each hand. The obsession will be so real, and this is coming from someone who was a firm believer that donuts are meant to be yeasted and fried. But I finally yielded to the peer pressure of baked donut lovers and after a few recipe testings, I must say I get it now! I finally understand why everyone loves a good baked donut. And this recipe was the one that made me fall in love with them too.

What makes these different from your average baked donut recipe is the ricotta cheese. It gives these a tender, almost creamy crumb that a standard batter just doesn't deliver. Besides, it adds a slight tangy note that balances all the sweetness beautifully. You won't taste it, but your donuts won't be as rich without it. I also used a combination of regular and brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon to give depth to every soft bite…

If you are looking for a chocolate chip banana bread that is extremely moist, soft, and full of chocolate in every single bite, this is the one. I used a specific blend of cake flour and all-purpose flour for an ultra-fine, light crumb that never feels heavy, while sour cream provides that irresistible moisture that lasts for days. I added almost 2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips to balance the sweetness of the bananas and brown sugar perfectly. And if you're thinking"Whoa, Dev, two cups of chocolate chips?", remember that in this website, more is always more when it comes to chocolate! Trust me, this banana bread is so easy to make, I know for sure you’ll have it on repeat!…

(UPDATED) These super soft jumbo blueberry muffins are incredibly tender and ridiculously easy to make. You just need one bowl to mix everything! I added a sprinkle of Earl Grey tea leaves for a lovely, robust floral twist, but that's totally optional. This is the perfect blueberry muffin recipe for making ahead. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, whatever you have tucked away. Have one warm and start your day with the coziest, dreamiest morning.

I love making these jumbo muffins because they always end up looking like something you’d spot through a bakery window and fall a little bit in love with. Like I told you about in my Jumbo Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins, I just love how they make my kitchen counter feel—like a small, happy bakery…

This cake, guys!

It’s a sour almond loaf with a tangy bite, thanks to the buttermilk and sour cream in the batter. The crumb is tight but soft, almost delicate, thanks to using cake flour mixed with just a small amount of all-purpose flour. I also swapped most of the vanilla for almond extract to let those bright, sour notes shine all the way through. And then—then you hit that sweet lemony glaze, made with lemon juice and steeped hibiscus tea. It’s totally addictive. Not kidding. I ate two slices back to back without blinking. So yes, eat at your own risk.

What I love most about this cake is how naturally it fits into everyday life. You can eat it whenever the moment calls—first thing in the morning with coffee, mid-afternoon for no reason at all, or late at night…

These Honey Lavender Scones are flaky, buttery and super soft! For this update I eliminated the egg, creating in a tighter crumb that make these even more satisfying than before. They are baked until crispy-edges perfection and then bathe with honey butter. You may turn the lavender glaze pink by using blackberries as I did or using hibiscus tea!

If you are afraid of using lavender, please don’t be like me. I had the same fear, and I've been missing out a lot because of that. After working with high quality lavender and understanding how to work with it, I’ve been adding it to many recipes. I promise that in these soft scones…

Once you make this impressive No-bake Chocolate Tart you will fall in love with it immediately. You’ll only need 10 basic ingredients and 10 minutes to put this tart together, and that’s including the crust! It has a silky and rich truffle-like texture. It's made with pure coconut milk and you can use vegan butter and vegan chocolate chips for a vegan version. Or use gluten-free Graham crackers for a gluten-free version as well. This tart is incredibly simple but makes an elegant and decadent dessert!

This chocolate tart is a dessert that you can bring to any dinner party or gathering that you have, especially those that land in your calendar last minute. I love seeing people’s faces after they take that first bite. Everyone is always so impressed, especially after finding out it’s a no-bake tart. I think anything chocolate or tart-shaped immediately feels pretty sophisticated, and people will think you posses magical baking skills! That’s why they fall in love…

(Update alert! I updated this beloved recipe of yours with the ingredients amounts in grams, new video and printable recipe card. Enjoy!)

Jumbo banana chocolate marble muffins!! Bakery style! Aren’t you drooling already? These will be the best banana and chocolate muffins you could ever have! They are rich, moist and oh-so-soft! These banana chocolate muffins are made with both melted butter and oil, which are key in preserving that softness and tenderness for days. And I used a whole bag of mini chocolate chips, so you know there will be chocolate chips in every bite!

You have probably heard me complaint before how much I don’t like banana bread. Like nothing at all. Let’s say that, even if my banana bread recipe is so beloved by a lot of people (from a technical point it’s a very well developed recipe), personally I’ll happily pick anything else before any banana bread. But then a magical ingredient entered in my banana bread game: chocolate!...

(Update: I included the ingredient’s amounts in grams, added some extra notes and added the recipe card for printing. Post in the same, so a little throwback to 4 ½ years ago. And of course, a short video for you to see how incredibly easy these are done. This recipe is super special for me because it was the last recipe I shot with Mariana by my side. I remember mashing one of these with almond milk so she could taste them, because she loved soft spiced cakes. These pics will be here forever! I hope you love these as much as Mariana and we do!)

These super cute cinnamon mini Bundt cakes filled with dulce de leche were made out of no time and out of a pantry full of nothing. They are super soft and full of cinnamon flavor that goes perfectly with all the dulce de leche inside. But you know what the best part of these cuties is? They are made with...

Starting the morning with warm cherry almond sweet rolls should be a thing in your life. These soft and fluffy rolls are filled with an almond cream makes that makes the dough puff even more in the oven and with a juicy cherry compote that’s bursting with sweetness. I’ll tell you how you can totally make ahead these or leave rolled overnight in the fridge to bake in the morning. Get ready to add these sweet rolls to your new favorites!

I’ve been wanting to do something with cherries and almonds for a while now. The combination is so freakishly good! And now while I’m writing, a ricotta cake…

These sweetened condensed cookies are so ridiculously easy you would want to jump and throw whatever you have in your hands to bake a batch. These sweet biscuits are buttery and crumbly and not overly sweet. You only need 4 ingredients for the basic recipe and the sky is the limit for other delicious flavors you can add on. No eggs needed! In less than 30 minutes you can have 1 cookie in each hand. You are simply going to love them!

I was super excited to share this basic recipe with you because I have been in a somewhat lazy era. No, it’s not that I’m not loving cooking and baking right now (NEVER!!!). It’s just that nowadays I have been appreciating stillness…

This classic moist and rich chocolate cake recipe is the only one you’ll need for a basic chocolate cake in your recipe book. This cake is decadent but still feels light and not overly sweet. The simplicity of it is what makes it extra! Each bite will awaken your senses to a delightful trip of pure bliss! It’s unfussy but still looks beautiful. You can approach it with easiness and no stress at all, which is the key for a perfect chocolate cake!

To this day, chocolate has to be one of the foods we are more passionate about. Just thinking about it makes you feel lush and opulent and yet is a comforting taste that you crave when feeling blue. It’s everything all at once. Like what we are at the essence of our soul. And that essence should be celebrated…

These sautéed potatoes have the crispiest surface and the softest center! They’re one of my favorite things to cook and eat! The reason they’re impossibly crispy and soft at the same time is because they’re first slow cooked in olive oil, kind of a confit, making the potatoes tender on the inside, and then cooked in high heat to finish up sealing that crispy outside. Each potato bite is decadent and so flavorful! Do you ever thought you’ll be talking about potatoes the same way you talk about ice cream? After you make these, you definitely will!

It was in high school when I tasted the most amazing plate of potatoes. Way better than French fries!! I was at a friend’s house and her mother made them for us as a snack. After trying them I was curious about…

These mallorcas are so light, puffy, fluffy and anything you might think could describe eating a sweet cloud! They’ll melt in your mouth, especially when warm or toasted. Traditionally these are served with confectioner’s sugar on top, but read below where I share other delicious ways for serving, including my favorite, toasted with butter and cinammon-sugar. So many ways to use this traditional Puerto Rican bread! I’m sure you’ll love this mallorca bread recipe!

If you haven’t heard about mallorcas before you might be wondering, what the heck are mallorcas? And I got you in here! Mallorcas are a Puerto Rican sweet bread that’s eaten mostly…

The taste of peanut butter shines in this Peanut Butter Coffee Cake. It has peanut butter in the batter and in the streusel for extra peanut butter goodness. The middle is filled with homemade blueberry preserves and the pieces of blueberries plus peanuts in the streusel give this cake a very nice bite! The consistency of the cake itself is like a quick bread but still super soft and fluffy. I can’t believe it’s already gone from my kitchen!

I’m not kidding when I tell you this cake if for peanut butter lovers, not likers. And I don’t want to scare away peanut butter neutral people because…

You know it’s not Valentine’s in here if there aren’t Heart Shaped Doughnuts in my kitchen!! This year I sticked to my bready dough and filled them with a sweet elderflower blueberry jam. I also used the Tangzhong method for the dough to make it soft and fresh for days, not only the day they were fried. I’m also telling you how you can make these overnight and a few cool tips on how to reheat doughnuts to make them taste even better than when fried!

Maybe it’s because everyone loves these doughnuts so much, from you my readers to my neighbors in the first floor, that I couldn’t help to make these for Valentine’s. There’s something magical about them and ironically, I think it is the amount of work behind them, haha!! After you finally sit down with a doughnut in one hand, a cup…

What else can be easier than a Nutella Heart Shaped Puff Pastry for Valentine’s?! This 3 ingredients Valentine's breakfast can be made by anyone in no time. Add fresh raspberries for a sweet romantic touch and you my friend will have created a true love masterpiece!!

I’m so happy to be posting here after being away the last few months while working on The Cooking Course! But now that the course it’s officially done and out in the world I was impatient to return to my regular postings. I had an amazing experience creating the course and am having a blast with the current participants. So many details and so much work is behind it. Enough to make you see the calendar one day and realize…

This Ricotta Blueberry Almond Cake is such a dream! The crumb is incredibly soft and rich. The bounce of the cake, as you can see in the video, makes you want to jump right over it. The edges are crispy, the top is a bit chewy and the center keeps a nice pudding-like consistency even after days of being baked. If you haven’t try this cake yet, sorry to tell you but you are missing out. Big time! You need to change that ASAP!

Even if I love sweets, I’m not used to eat cake for breakfast. But I’ll be more than happy to have this ricotta blueberry cake with a cup of coffee any given morning. Cakes for breakfast are such an indulgence! They make you feel…

Believe me when I tell you that all you want for Christmas is these Dark Rum Golden Raisin Cinnamon rolls! These rolls are soft, warm and pillowy, like any good Christmas morning should be. As you could’ve guessed, I used golden raisins instead of dark and used dark rum instead of white rum for a warmer note. I smeared them in a classic butter cream cheese icing, with a bit of booze just to make the morning even more fun! This dough is so soft, you can bake these…

These super soft and fudgy brownies come with a different story to tell. They are made with pure 70% dark chocolate and Dutch processed cocoa powder for a very intense dark chocolate flavor, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to cozy you up during the autumn nights and sour cream (yes! sour cream) to highlight the acidic notes from the Dutch cocoa and to add moisture, creating a fudgy texture without…

This olive oil cake with chocolate frosting will become your favorite celebration cake! Not only it’s ridiculously easy to make and only requires a few basic baking ingredients, but it also is very soft, tender and super pretty! The olive oil adds so much suppleness to every bite of this cake and the chocolate ganache frosting has a smooth, rich and voluptuous texture that is pure bliss!

These sugar cookies are soft and chewy and completely made from scratch. You will be amazed with how easy these are to make, especially with my trick to prevent cookies from spreading in the oven. Any shape will be safe with this recipe! And think of all the fillings and glazes you can make. But because Mother’s Day is literally around the corner, I’m sticking with Nutella as filling and a hibiscus glaze for a pink pretty color. You don’t see cookies so full of love everyday.

The answer on how to make anyone smile is this easy homemade salted hazelnuts and pistachios chocolate brittle! The caramel layer is sweet and salty thanks to all the nuts. You can use just hazelnuts but you know I love pistachios so much and they add another layer of nuttiness to this recipe. Each bite is full of caramel notes and the chocolate makes everything smoother and of course, better! That’s what chocolate always does, right?!

These quick croissant French toast made with sweetened condensed milk are super silky and extremely soft! Besides using condensed milk, I toasted the croissants before soaking them in the egg mixture, that way the croissants ended up being crispy and dry on the surface but still super soft on the inside. Never soggy and with the perfect crisp texture.

This easy chocolate sponge cake made with oil is so pretty and cute for any celebration. The cake itself is dense, creamy and extra soft. And because it’s made with oil, it keeps super moist for days! The extra creaminess of the coconut milk soaking syrup do wonders for the texture of this chocolate sponge cake, without leaving it tasting like coconut. To make things pretty in pink I added hibiscus tea to my extra creamy cream cheese frosting. I can tell you this is a very chocolate cake special cake!