Baking | Kitchen Konfidence

Citrus Poppy Seed Cake Recipe

March 3, 2017 by Brandon Matzek 10 Comments

Hello friends and Happy Friday!

I made a version of this cake for Jorge on Valentine’s Day as a fresh finish to a heavy Italian meal. We loved it so much, that I just had to share the recipe with all of you. Infused with grapefruit, lime, orange and vanilla, this simple cake is packed with pure citrus sunshine. The zest and juice of the fresh fruit go directly into the batter. I would recommend stealing a taste of the raw batter before baking. It’s so good! When the cake comes out of the oven, you poke it with a skewer and douse it with more fresh citrus juice to really infuse the flavor. Greek yogurt in the cake and the glaze provides moisture and tang while tiny poppy seeds add flavor and crunch. This cake is impressive enough for a special occasion, but also easy enough to enjoy at something more casual like brunch or afternoon tea. Continue reading for the recipe.

Top 15 Recipes of 2016

December 30, 2016 by Brandon Matzek 3 Comments

Hello friends and Happy Friday!! I’m going to close out this year with a tasty roundup of my top recipes of 2016.

2016 was an interesting year filled with excitement, a little anxiety from time-to-time and plenty of change. With all of the celebrity deaths and political unrest, many are calling 2016 just the worst. But it was also the year that I decided to transition from my career in Marketing (with Westfield) to full-time food blogging, writing and photography! The second half of 2016 was spent navigating the choppy waters of self-employment, and while it has been challenging, I feel like I’m off to a good start!

I launched my first eBook in partnership with The 30 Clean.
I started writing for Modern Luxury San Diego, a gig I really now look forward to each month.
I’ve continued to work with many amazing clients and partners who help support this blog financially. I want to mention too that I am very critical when it comes to the partners I work with, and I will only promote brands or products that I truly love. Hopefully this comes through when I share sponsored recipes or products!
I’ve gotten to explore San Diego even more, sharing my findings and recs on Instagram.
I’ve shared a wider variety of approachable recipes that seem to be working well (based on your feedback!).

In 2017, I hope to turn up the volume on each of the items above while dabbling a bit more in the video realm. I’m actually quite giddy thinking about the possibilities! Before we get to the roundup, I want to say thanks. Thanks to all the partners and sponsors that help support Kitchen Konfidence financially, and thanks for making awesome products/services that I can gladly support. Thanks to my friends and family who always send so much love and support. Thanks to Jorge for just being awesome. We’re both working from home now, and it’s been so fun, and easy, and enjoyable. I get to see his smiling face all the time now 🙂 And finally, thanks to you the readers for all of the likes, loves, comments and feedback. You are the reason why I do what do!

Happy New Year from Brandon, Jorge, TiVo and Boris!! If you need a cocktail for NYE, try this one or this one. And now, on to my top recipes of 2016!!

Bourbon Pecan Oatmeal Cookies Recipe + Happy Holidays!!

December 22, 2016 by Brandon Matzek 5 Comments

This is my last recipe before Christmas, so I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone Happy Holidays!!

Let’s be honest. Oatmeal cookies can often be lackluster. OR, they’re over-sweetened to make up for the fact that they’re often lackluster. OR, they have raisins (womp womp). Well today I’m sharing some oatmeal cookies that you can really get excited for. Here’s what makes them special:

Bourbon!! Provides a deep note of smoky warmth. Pure magic when paired with vanilla.
Chopped, toasted pecans tossed in butter, brown sugar and smoked sea salt. Tasty little morsels that lend big pops of flavor throughout.
Cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper added to the dry ingredients. Upping the cozy factor.
A mix of butter, shortening and heavy cream. Butter mainly for flavor while the shortening and heavy cream keep the cookies light and tender.
Sweetened with 100% brown sugar. Rolled oats + brown sugar = a perfect pairing.

These Bourbon Pecan Oatmeal Cookies are a balanced mix of sweet and salty with, thanks to the bourbon, brown sugar and vanilla, an incredibly deep caramel flavor that develops as you chew. Oats and pecans offer some contrasting crunch against the softness of the spiced crumb. Enjoy these cookies warm with a big glass of milk, a mug of spiced eggnog or a chilled Old Fashioned. Continue reading for the recipe.

Rosemary Toasted Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies Recipe

December 16, 2016 by Brandon Matzek 7 Comments

Hello friends and Happy Friday!!

I love to cook with rosemary year-round, but to me it just feels so right for the Holiday season. Perhaps it’s because the herb looks and smells similar to pine (it’s actually in the mint family though!). Rosemary might not be the first thing that comes to mind when making a dessert, but it’s truly magic when paired with sugar and butter. In this shortbread cookie recipe, I’ve created a simple dough infused with fresh rosemary, toasty brown butter and chopped golden hazelnuts. The marriage of these three flavors is one you’ll surely fall in love with. Sweet, rich and buttery, these cookies have a tender, crumbly texture. They’re a dream with coffee, and would be a perfect addition to any Holiday cookie lineup. Continue reading for the recipe.

Nectarine Coffee Cake Recipe

July 25, 2016 by Brandon Matzek 14 Comments

I’ve got a special treat for you all today!!

In addition to an absolutely delicious Nectarine Coffee Cake recipe, I’m sharing some interesting coffee details from an interview I recently conducted with Keurig Green Mountain®’s SVP and Managing Director, Lindsey Bolger. First, let’s talk cake.

The base here is a simple cake infused with rich vanilla. Whole milk Greek yogurt, a unique addition, provides a slight tang while giving the cake a moist, tender crumb. The next layer up is a jumble of juicy white nectarine slices that turn melting when baked. Finally, the cake is finished with a buttery crumb flecked with bits of almond meal. Each bite of this cake is light and tender with a sweet floral note from the nectarines. The crumbs on top add a nice richness and contrast in texture. Continue reading for the recipe, coffee pairing ideas plus interview details!

Jeff’s No Knead Bread Recipe

March 13, 2016 by Brandon Matzek 70 Comments

Several week ago, I teased out an upcoming recipe for no knead bread. Well, here it is 🙂

This recipe is courtesy of Jeff, a reader and avid home cook in Los Angeles. Jeff first sent me this recipe back in 2014 after he discovered Kitchen Konfidence via a link on How Sweet It Is. Quick sidebar, if you’re not familiar with Jessica’s blog, I would highly recommend you head on over sometime soon, and check out her recipes. Everything Jessica cooks up looks so tasty. I want to make and eat ALL the things.

Ok, so back to Jeff’s bread. The recipe starts with a mix of flour, yeast, salt, vinegar, beer and water. Everything is casually tossed into a bowl and mixed with a fork until a shaggy dough comes together. The dough then sits for 18 to 24 hours. This extended rise time really improves the yeasty flavor of the bread while saving you the trouble of kneading the dough. After a few additional folds and another rest, the bread is cooked in a dutch oven until gloriously golden. I mean just take a look at the loaf above. It really does look profesh. This always surprises me when I pull the pot out of the oven. I think to myself, “Damn, I just made that!” I’ve been baking this bread frequently since 2014, and now it’s time for me to share 🙂 Continue reading for Jeff’s recipe.

Skillet Soda Bread Recipe

February 17, 2016 by Brandon Matzek 44 Comments

So far in 2016, I’ve been all about making bread at home. It’s so simple and so gratifying. First up, I’m sharing this Skillet Soda Bread recipe, and in several weeks, I’m posting a recipe for the BEST overnight, no-knead bread. YUM!!!

Soda bread, Irish or otherwise, is a perfect introduction to home bread-making, because minimal time and effort are required to produce a golden, aromatic loaf of bread. No special equipment is needed here as well, and most ingredients can be found in the pantry. One can’t help but smile as the burnished beauty emerges from the hot oven, filling the kitchen with the smell of freshly baked bread.

Irish soda bread in its simplest form is a mixture of flour, baking soda, buttermilk and salt. In this recipe, flavors are amped up with the addition of orange zest, fennel seeds and a heap of dried currants plumped with amber whiskey. Local Henebery rye whiskey was used here, but any whiskey would work (especially Irish whiskey!). This recipe is definitely not traditional, but it sure is tasty. Continue reading for the recipe.

Meyer Lemon Polenta Cake Recipe

February 4, 2016 by Brandon Matzek 35 Comments

This cake is pure sunshine.

Meyer lemons are in season right now, and I’ve been obsessed with them for the past couple of weeks. Meyer lemon vinaigrettes, meyer lemon roast chicken, meyer lemon chia pudding, meyer lemon in my sparkling water, meyer lemon squeezed on all the things, etc. Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, and their flavor and aroma are just fantastic. If you can get your hands on some in the next few months, I would highly recommend doing so. Then you can make this cake!

Nigella first introduced me to the wonders of a polenta cake, and I’ve been making them ever since. This fuss-free cake starts with creamed butter and sugar. You then alternate adding eggs and a dry mix of almond meal, polenta (cornmeal), baking powder and salt. The cake batter is finished with citrus and vanilla. Here, I am using meyer lemon zest and juice, but I’ve also made this cake with regular lemons and oranges. Cooked low and slow in the oven, the cake emerges golden brown and fragrant. Nigella tops her polenta cake with a sweet lemon syrup, but here I’ve chosen to top with a crème fraîche glaze and flecks of fresh meyer lemon zest. Each bite is moist, light and crumbly with a sweet-tart hit of meyer lemon. A true celebration of this seasonal beauty. Continue reading for the cake recipe.

Triple Ginger Cookies Recipe + Happy Holidays!!

December 24, 2015 by Brandon Matzek 13 Comments

Happy Holidays everyone!! Things have been a bit quiet over here, since I’ve been struggling with the flu recently. Thankfully, I’m over the worst of it now (so the doctor says!).

My last Holiday recipe for the year is this one for Triple Ginger Cookies, and oh MAN are they good. Like my Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies (noticing a theme here?), I’ve been making these ginger cookies for many years now. The dry ingredients are laced with ground ginger, the wet ingredients with fresh ginger, and the finished dough is studded with a sizable amount of crystallized ginger. Star anise, lemon zest and blackstrap molasses all pair beautifully with ginger, creating warming depth of flavor. These glittering little nuggets are crispy on the outside, and tender and caky on the inside. Each bite packs a pleasant burn (from the crystallized ginger) that will add intrigue to any Holiday cookie tin. Continue reading for the recipe!

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

December 11, 2015 by Brandon Matzek 28 Comments

This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I’ve actually been making these chocolate studded beauties since 2007! Over the years, I’ve tried and enjoyed many other types of chocolate chip cookies, but these are still my favorite of the bunch. Made with butter, shortening, white sugar, brown sugar, three types of chocolate, vanilla, and chopped pecans, these cookies really have it all. They’re soft and tender inside while slightly crispy at the edges. Flaky sea salt balances out the chocolate and caramel notes from the brown sugar. Oh yeah, these guys are HUGE too. Size does matter here, because you want each cookie to have plenty of the tasty mix-ins. Continue reading for the recipe.