Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at World Spice. We love spices every day, but for Valentine's Day, we really wanted to show it.
Everyone on our team has a favorite, and we’ve got the prose (and poetry!) to prove it.
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Vanilla Cake You'll Remember
Valentine's Day doesn't have to be about romance. For me, it was a treasure hunt. Every Valentine's Day from the time I was very young, my mom would wake up early and hide clues around the house. Rhyming riddles that led from the bookshelf to the kitchen drawer to the woodpile. One year, each clue came with a puzzle piece and we had to put the whole thing together to find the final hiding spot. The prize was always the same: vanilla cake with cherry buttercream frosting, sometimes as cupcakes, sometimes as a whole cake. It was the kind of childhood tradition that made the world feel like magic. I think about that now as an adult—how much effort and love went into making that tradition happen every single year. The planning, the early morning baking, the care in every hand-written rhyme. It's one of the best memories I have of what love looks like. And the taste of this cake brings me back to that feeling every time. I'd like to share this special recipe with you. It's simple, it's delicious, and it works just as well as a layer cake or cupcakes. Make it for someone you love. Vanilla Cake You'll Remember Serves 10+ | 350°F Cake 1 cup butter 1½ cups sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1½ teaspoons vanilla 4 eggs 3 cups cake flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup milk Cream butter, 1½ cups of the sugar, salt, and vanilla well. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder together several times. Add the dry mixture with the milk in alternating portions to the creamed blend. Beat smooth. Pour batter into 2 9-inch layer pans and bake about 35 minutes. Cool on racks. For cupcakes: Bake about 25 minutes. Frosting (for a 2-layer cake) ½ cup soft butter 3 cups confectioner's sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cream 1½ teaspoon vanilla Cream butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar, salt, cream, and vanilla. For cherry frosting: Add cherry flavoring to taste. I love adding different spice blends to this recipe depending on the occasion. My favorites are Advieh for warm, floral notes, and Kashmiri Garam Masala for intense, deeply spiced flavors. To add a spice blend, stir a tablespoon into the batter along with the flour mixture, and leave the frosting plain.
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Perfect Pepper: Understanding Grind Size
Does the coarseness of the pepper really make a difference? While pepper is still pepper no matter how you grind it, there are some interesting nuances to how grind size can affect your cooking. Let’s look at a few examples. Fine Grind When pepper is ground finely it covers more area and tastes hotter. If you’re looking to get maximum spiciness out of your peppercorns go for a fine grind and a lot of it. Finely ground pepper also dissolves the most easily into a dish, so if you want peppercorn flavor with no noticeable texture — say in a creamy soup or smooth mashed potatoes — a fine grind is your best option. Medium Grind Also known as “Table Grind,” this is the size you’re most likely to find in pepper shakers or grinders on a restaurant table. There's a good reason for this. A medium grind is the best choice for adding to food at the table. It has a little texture and crunch, a medium heat level, and is all around great for use as a condiment. Coarse Grind While fine ground pepper brings even, intense heat, coarse ground brings the fireworks. Large chunky pieces create bursts of texture and intense peppercorn flavor that make dishes exciting and engaging. A coarse grind works great for steaks, salad dressings, and pasta dishes like cacio e pepe. A coarse grind is also ideal for adding as a decorative finishing sprinkle. Whole Peppercorns Whole peppercorns are best suited for infusing their flavors over a long period of time. Add them to soups, stews, broths, and pickle brines, but remember with a longer infusion they can really pack a punch, so start with just a few.
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Perfect Crispy Wings from the Oven
If you want crispy baked wings without frying, baking powder is the trick. Use aluminum free baking powder, not baking soda. It raises the pH of the skin, helps the fat render, and gives you that golden, crackly finish. For 2 pounds of chicken wings, use 1 to 2 tablespoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Add 2 tablespoons total of dry spices, and set aside another tablespoon or so of those spices to toss on after the wings are finished. If you’re planning to sauce the wings, you can still coat them lightly with just salt and baking powder to get that crispy skin. To turn dry spices into a sauce, gently warm the spices in a bit of fat like butter or oil for 30 to 60 seconds, just until fragrant. This wakes up the spices and keeps the flavors bold. Finish with a splash of acid like vinegar or lemon and a touch of sweetness if you like, then toss the hot wings right away so the sauce clings and shines.
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