I’ve had an amazing time in Charleston, it was everything I expected and so much more. The people are friendly, the city is historic and beautiful, and the food delicious. The beaches are clean and the water warm enough to swim in, I could not have been happier. This trip turned out to be a perfect summer holiday, there are several great places to eat at, some new and some old with each offering a distinct and fun menu. Some of my favorite places on the trip were Butcher and Bee, Saffron and Sermet’s. Downtown.
Even as an adult, I still love fireworks and the spectacular show at Charleston did not disappoint. From the city’s aquarium, we had an amazing view of the colorful display of lights that filled up the dark skies. Here are some of the photographs of the dazzling fireworks that for some reason always remind me of supernovas and comets.
Even as an adult, I still love fireworks and the spectacular show at Charleston did not disappoint. From the city’s aquarium, we had an amazing view of the colorful display of lights that filled up the dark skies. Here are some of the photographs of the dazzling fireworks that for some reason always remind me of supernovas and comets.
I have an obsession with all things concerning yogurt, I eat yogurt daily and use it often in cooking. I drink it after my daily workouts in shakes and smoothies as my protein source. A few months ago, I posted a recipe on using Siggi’s filmjólk to prepare a saffron and almond drink, over time I got adventurous and started to incorporate this Icelandic drink into several different recipes at home. One reason why I consume and use Siggi’s dairy products is because of their company’s commitment to using sustainable and eco-friendly practices and the taste is wonderfully tangy. The versatility of their dairy products makes it a useful ingredient to have on hand and just as it did in these oat bran teacakes. These teacakes are delightful and beyond tea or dessert are also great to eat at breakfast. Besides the Icelandic yogurt, there’s healthy and delicious oat bran, ground almond meal (with the husk/skin), and some whole-wheat pastry flour. To make it a little more adult (which is completely optional), I added in some reduced red wine for color and created a few swirls. If you do skip the red wine, then skip step#2 and the swirling portion in step#5.
I can’t believe how time flies, this month marks the second year of my blog. When I first began A Brown Table, I wondered if I could keep up with a weekly schedule and the demands of maintaining an active blog. That part is still hard and finding a balance between life and blogging can sometimes be challenging. So much has changed too with this blog, I learned a little bit of CSS, HTML and photography over time and incorporated new ideas and styles with every post. I’ve made mistakes on this journey and learned from them but every upcoming post makes me excited to share my food, photographs and stories with you. I do hope that you have enjoyed them along the way.
What would a blog birthday be without free gifts and the folks at Siggi’s were extremely kind to sponsor a giveaway to celebrate the wonderful two years. The rules for this contest are simple, all you need to do is leave a comment below this post on how you would use Siggi’s and visit the Facebook pages and click the like buttons for both A Brown Table and Siggi’s. I will randomly select five winners who will receive a free bottle of filmjólk and 4 cups of skyr, via the Rafflecopter widget below (so please sign up through the widget). This contest is only open to residents in the United States (due to shipping reasons, sorry). This contest will run through July 17th and the five winners will have 48 hours to respond, otherwise I will have to select someone else. So hurry up and enter to win and try some delicious Icelandic filmjólk and skyrr from the folks at Siggi’s! Please share this with your friends on Twitter and/or Pinterest!
oat bran and yogurt teacakes
yields: 6 mini bundt cakes
ingredients
2 cups red wine (optional)
1 stick butter, chopped at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup oat bran
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unflavored plain non-fat Siggis’ filmjólk
neutral cooking oil spray
1. Preheat the oven to 350F and set a wire rack at mid level height.
2. Reduce the wine to 1/4 cup in a thick bottom saucepan on a medium flame. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Remove and keep aside to cool.
3. Fix the paddle attachment to a stand mixer and cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the lemon extract and lemon zest to the batter and beat for another minute.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the oat bran, flour, almond meal, baking powder, and baking soda. Add half of the flour mix to the batter and mix for a minute until combined. Pour the filmjólk into the batter with the rest of the flour mix and beat until completely combined.
5. Spray and grease six mini bundt pans with the cooking oil spray. Divide the batter equally among the pans. Add a teaspoon of the reduced wine on top of the batter and each pan and with a clean skewer stir the wine a little in the batter to create random swirl patterns. Place the bundt pans on a baking tray about an inch from each other. Bake the cakes in the preheated oven on the wire rack for 30 minutes until a skewer or knife comes out clean from the center. Remove the pans and flip the onto a clean plate and allow the cakes to cool inside the bundt pans. After 10 minutes, tap the individual pans carefully to release the cakes. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool to room temperature completely before serving.
Disclaimer: I did not receive any financial compensation for this product, all opinions stated here are my own.
Disclaimer: I did not receive any financial compensation for this product, all opinions stated here are my own.
THIS CONTEST HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED
51 Responses
Wonderful teacakes! This combination is great. I love lemony treats.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love those fireworks pictures 🙂 never heard about this brand before but would love to try it and probably if I win I will incorporate into some baked goods a cake or something.
Charleston sounds amazing, I hope to visit sometime.
I've seen Siggi's in my grocery store, but havent tried it yet. What would I do if I win – enjoy it plain and simple with some fruit and granola, or blend into a smoothie with fruit from my farmers market!
You trip to Charleston sounds so wonderful! And these tea cakes look just as wonderful – YUM!
Lemon and yogurt, what a match made in Heaven! Loooove your pics, (you were so close by! I was just in Oak Isle)…spectacular shots!!
Wonderful trip you had and watching fireworks always makes so happy, like a kid, I can watch non stop 🙂 And that cake sounds perfect!
The first thing that came to mind about incorporating Siggis is topping a baked potato because that is what I'm making for dinner tonight. I also love incorporating yogurt into soups to add a tang to them.
lovely teacakes and love Icelandic yogurt ate lots when we visited there, Charleston is a fab city and wow look at those fireworks
A wonderful combo of flavours, Nik. Lemon and yogurt are fantastic together.
Perfect photos of fireworks!! I've heard so much about the beauty of Charleston and the history. Can't wait to visit someday 🙂
Love this healthy yogurt teacakes!
Love your mini yogurt teacakes. I love the texture yogurt gives to cakes and your version looks healthy and delicious. Great pictures and blog – that's some fireworks show!
What an amazing recipe Nik. Red wine in cake is a first for me. They look so perfect. Thanks for stopping by my blog, it's a pleasure to have found yours.
Dave.
Beautiful dish! makes me want to grab a fork and just dig in.
These look amazing. I'd have to agree… yogurt + lemon = heaven!! Perfect combo. I'd love to use Siggi's not only to try your delicious looking recipe, but to make my cilantro lime cream that we love on all sorts of Mexican food.
I love Siggis all by itself. But I would love to try making a healthier version of cheesecake using Siggis as the base. I am so glad to have found a yogurt that is not too high in sugar and is made with wholesome ingredients.
THanks for stopping by Nik. Lovely blog you have here. Your firework photographs are beautiful, if you don't mind me asking did you use an SLR or a point and shoot? Teacakes are yummy… especially with chai. 🙂
I love lemony baked goods, this is so up my alley. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the giveaway! Beautiful teacakes and gorgeous pictures. I wish I can take fireworks like you did…. Amazing skills!
Just mouthwatering….looks delicious!
Thank you, Rosa!
Thanks Dixya. That sounds delicious!
I do hope you visit, I am sure you will love the city. Granola and fruit with Siggi's sounds amazing.
Thanks Amy!
I would use this to make gluten-free cupcakes – yum!
Lemony and delicious, these look way too cute 😀
Cheers
CCU
These little cakes look perfect for a cup of tea! They are so cute. I love the almond flour and the whole wheat flour, makes them healthy 🙂
Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment because now I have found your wonderful site.
Nazneen
Great teacakes! I love the flavors you've included. Happy 2nd blog anniversary! Keep up the excellent work.
Thanks Angela! Oak Isle must be wonderful.
Haha, we think the same!
That sounds wonderful!
Thanks for the Charleston bakery recommendation! It was great.
Thanks Angie!
Thanks Kiran! You should visit.
Thanks so much, Monica.
You have a great blog, David. Thanks for the comments.
Thank you!
Oh that sounds perfect!
That does sound delicious!
Thanks so much. I use a DSLR for my work.
Thank you, Kalyan.
Yay, I am glad you like it.
Thanks Nami, you are always so kind.
That sounds fun!
I love baking with whole grain, takes a little bit of the guilt away when it comes to desserts!
Thank you so much, I hope I get to hear from you again!
Thanks, Guru! Lemon is the way to go.
Oh Nik…these little tea cakes are so lovely. Your ingredient list looks so unique and pretty amazing. I love baking with almond meal but I bet the red wine makes these fabulous! Congratulations on the anniversary of your blog. Why did it take me 2 years to find you??? But I'm glad I did. Looking forward to many more of your wonderful recipes and your gorgeous photography! : )
Nik, congrats on your second anniversary!
R
Congratulations on the two years of blogging. It really is a big commitment of our time but worthwhile in the end. Lovely little cakes and I like the addition of wine.
I am totally fascinated by the red win in these. Pinning immediately!
I made an "orange frothy" using the siggi's vanilla yogurt I won! http://www.snixykitchen.com/2014/01/21/orange-frothy/