Make the cake: Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom of two 9×13-inch pans with parchment paper and coat the parchment paper (yes, this extra buffer helps a lot) and the exposed sides of the pan with nonstick spray.

In a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the 4 egg whites on medium speed until they’re halfway thickened — they should look white, foamy, and show some streaks as the whisk moves through them in the bowl. Running the mixer the whole time, sprinkle in salt, then 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) of the sugar. Increase the speed and beat the egg whites until glossy, stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes more. Scoop the whipped egg whites into a second bowl for now, and return the empty mixing bowl to the electric mixer. [No need to wash the bowl or whisk here.]

Add 4 whole eggs and remaining 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar to the empty bowl and whip together on high speed until light in color and texture and and thickened ripples form in the batter as the whisk moves through the bowl, about 8 to 10 minutes. If you’re unsure, it doesn’t hurt to beat the mixture a minute longer. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour with a flexible spatula, followed by the almond flour, half at a time. Finally, fold in the whipped egg whites, being careful not to deflate the batter.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Bake the cakes until they’re set, about 9 to 13 minutes. Transfer cakes to cooling racks and let them cool completely in the pan. However, I like to run a thin knife carefully around the cake’s sides before it cools as it has a tendency to stick, even when greased well.

Make the buttercream: In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar, then turn heat to high and boil, cooking (without stirring) until mixture reaches 238°F (114°C) (aka the soft ball candy stage) and remove from the heat.

In a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg yolks for 2 minutes on a medium-high speed to loosen them. With the mixer running, add the hot sugar syrup to the yolks in a slow, thin stream (if you can, aim for the middle as the sugar syrup that lands on the sides of the bowl just hardens there), beating until combined. Add the espresso and beat until combined. Let the mixture cool to close to room temperature. You can hurry this along, as I like to, by placing some ice packs around the mixing bowl and running the machine on low (so it cools evenly and not just at the edges).

Once cool, with the mixer running, add pieces of softened butter, one at a time. The mixture may begin to look curdled – this is normal, it will be fine. When all of the butter has been added, add the salt and beat on high speed until the mixture comes together in a thick, creamy, silky buttercream that will put all other frostings to shame.

Congratulations, you just finished the two peskiest elements of the cake! The next two parts are a cinch.

Make the chocolate layer: Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring cream to simmer. Pour cream over, wait one minute, then whisk until chocolate has melted. You can cool and thicken this quickly by setting this bowl over a larger bowl partially filled with ice water and whisking until the chocolate mixture is almost thick enough to spread. Remove the bowl from the bowl of ice water. You can stop a little short of fully thickened because it will continue to firm up as it rests.

Make the syrup: Combine sugar and hot espresso, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add brandy and set aside.

Assemble the cake: Run a knife (again) around the cooled cakes to make sure they’re not stuck and use the parchment underneath to sort of yank the first cake, parchment and all, onto a cutting board. Use a ruler (you will thank you later because evenly cut layers need less trimming) to evenly divide the cake layer into thirds, cutting through the parchment and all. Repeat with the second cake layer, creating 6 9-inch by (approximately) 4 1/3-inch rectangles of cake.

Pick up the first cake layer and flip it briefly over onto the cutting board to peel the parchment carefully off the back. Place the first cake layer on your serving plate. Don’t worry, the cake is sticky but bendy; it shouldn’t break but even if it did, nobody would be the wiser once you patched it back together on the plate.

Brush generously with 1/6 of the soaking syrup, just eyeballing the amount. Spread with 1/4 of the chocolate mixture. Place the second cake layer with the parchment peeled off as before on the chocolate layer. Brush generously with another 1/6 of the soaking syrup. Spread with 1/3 of the buttercream mixture. You’ve just completed the first third of the total cake. You want to repeat this process two more times — with 4 more cake layers, 2/3 of the remaining chocolate, and all of the remaining buttercream. Transfer this to the fridge for 30 minutes or a freezer for 10, just until the buttercream on top is firm to the touch.

Once the buttercream on top is firm to the touch, spread the remaining chocolate on top. If you’d like to decorate the top, hold back 2 tablespoons of the chocolate to pipe what you wish. It is traditional to write “opera” on top. I, uh, wrote “smitten.” Happy birthday works too!

To finish the cake: Let the cake rest in the fridge for a couple hours, or overnight, so that it’s firm and easy to trim. Before you’re ready to serve it, use a sharp serrated knife to trim the edges of the cake so that nice, clean stripes are visible. Serve right away; you’ve waited long enough!

Do ahead: The cake keeps in the fridge for 5 days, although it would be unprecedented in my apartment. I suspect it would also freeze nicely, once firm enough to wrap tightly in plastic.

Additional Notes:

• “Deb, why don’t we just flip the cakes out of the pan onto a cooling rack and then remove the parchment paper off the back of the cakes, as we would with a regular layer cake?” Because the cakes are SO sticky. I did it this way a few times and it created an extra unnecessary headache to then try to take the cake off the rack without losing half of it.
• Don’t want to use alcohol in the soaking syrup? No worries, just use extra espresso.

For years, I’d order the Opera Cake from Balthazar bakery for my birthday and one thing I like that they do is they make the cake with hazelnut flour/meal instead of almonds. It really goes nicely here if you want to make the swap here.

Every September, I step up onto my soapbox to report for my self-appointed duty — one part desperate, one part cantankerous — to remind us that summer isn’t over yet. I beg us to put away the decorative gourds and pumpkin spice for just a tiny bit longer. It’s a slippery slope from “hooray, scarves!” and “look at that perfect rainbow of a tree!” to a very long winter where I forget what warmth feels like on my skin and I am beseeching us not to wish it away. Or, I struggle with change? Hm, it’s hard to tell!

These cabbage and halloumi skewers, like me, have their feet in both seasons: a heartier, warming vegetable but with flavors that still taste like weather warm enough to eat outside. If you haven’t grilled cabbage before, you’re in for a treat. Even on the most pathetic gas grill (i.e. mine), the thick leaves get a little sweet, a little smoky, and — as we’ve learned via this charred salt and vinegar cabbage, this roasted cabbage with walnuts and parmesan, and this crispy cabbage and cauliflower salad — the more char, the better. Thin slices of salty halloumi are threaded between the chunks of cabbage and they, too, taste astoundingly good grilled. The cheese was, in fact, designed for it. Finally, we make an herby, punchy mixture with garlic, lemon, capers, and red pepper and brush it all over and then my husband and I stand in the kitchen and wolf it all down and forget why we’d want to eat anything else for dinner.

The Smitten Kitchen now has two newsletters! The Smitten Kitchen Digest, my many years running Monday newsletter, is for catching up on all things SK: what’s new, announcements, fun things to read, and seasonal menu suggestions. The Weekly Yap, my new Friday newsletter, is all about everything off-the-menu and not always about cooking, like what I’m up to, into, great meals out, books, travel, and more. Sign up for both (free!) right here. If you’re already a Monday newsletter subscriber, you can add the Friday newsletter via your Substack settings > Subscriptions > The Smitten Kitchen Digest > Slide the toggle next to Off-The-Menu to receive the emails.

Big braiser news! In the 18 months since we launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser, nothing has made me happier than seeing how many of you are cooking in it. It remains my forever, perfect pan — just the right size for weeknights, the right shape for sautéing, and the right depth for baking, roasting, and braising. Your number one request? More colors! And it’s finally happening. The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is now sold exclusively through Williams-Sonoma, which means that in addition to the original black, it comes in six! new! colors: Cranberry (bright red), Grenadine (deep red), Sage (light green), Basil (dark green), La Mer (dark blue-green), and Sapphire (dark blue). If you’re looking for inspiration for what to cook in your braiser, start here!

This is a towering brick of a 2.5-pound zucchini bread, easily 1.5x of most standard recipes, so please don’t balk at the oil or sugar levels — they’re all to scale, and the result is just moderately sweet. If you have a scale, this is a one-bowl recipe. You can use any kind of cocoa powder here, but my preference is Dutch-processed, or basically the kind you’d get from any European brand. Just a heads up: The baking time is long. It’s taken me 1 hour 25 minutes the last three tests, but I know that ovens range. You can cut into it right away but I really like it better on day two, when the moisture settles into an even crumb and the top is extra crunchy.

What did we get up to while our kids’ time away overlapped for two weeks this summer? Did we go on vacation? Did we party every night? The truth is honestly embarrassing, so middle-aged coded, Deb of the early Smitten Kitchen years would rage and weep. [“You promised you wouldn’t get lame!”] I got… orthotics. And even worse than considering this newsworthy, I love them. I caught up on appointments. I challenged myself to finish books before they were overdue at the library and occasionally pulled it off. Sometimes I drank an entire 8 glasses of water and went to bed by 10:30pm. Sure, we went out. We had uninterrupted conversations. We drank Hugo spritzes. We saw dogs playing in a kiddie pool set up in front of an open fire hydrant and lamented that the kids were missing it, then reloaded their last locations and photos from the camp stream a million more times. We said things to each other like, “I miss the kids, but not parenting.” I watched this clip and it emotionally wrecked me. I’d sleep through my alarm in the morning and nobody was there to tell me I make weird faces in my sleep or that they’d promised they’d bring homemade treats to school that day. Friends, it was wild.

And the party didn’t end there. I’d make big dinner salads and bask, revel in being able to mix it all together, dressing too, not having to leave it on the side or create a whole salad bar of build-your-own bowl ingredients in case an unnamed picky child was going to reject the whole due to some of the parts. And in the most buried lede of all buried ledes, I need to tell you that this specific salad instantly became the star of our whole summer.

This salad could medal in the summer dinner salad Olympics, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s not even close. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be making it for the rest of my life, but I’m hoping you might start sooner, and even pull it off in a vacation house rental kitchen. It started in a more complex place; I’ve been making variations on what I call a Southwestern Cobb salad for years, a kinda taco bowl salad, with cute little rows of everything from tomatoes to black beans and peppers but every time I decide it was time to share it, I’d sigh and have to admit it was a bit of work.

Instead, I’ve distilled it to what I consider the best, most essential parts: chili-rubbed grilled chicken, charred sweet corn, avocado, and the best, most habit-forming, most put-it-on-everything, most I-can’t-stop-thinking-about-it cilantro lime dressing on earth. The whole thing is a symphony of greens and yellows (my favorite colors) and lest you think this feels a bit too wholesome and adult, I highly recommend a bowl of Fritos on the side and occasionally crumbled on top. A glass of something cold condensating on the table, your toes in the sand, and the general feeling that life is actually pretty grand right now isn’t guaranteed, but I want this for you, for us, and I hope this salad helps.

It’s here! The 2025 SK Classroom Wishlist Project, in which we try to get teachers what they need to set their classrooms up for success, has kicked off. If you cannot figure out where to start, let me help! I recommend picking a school in your area, or perhaps where you grew up, or searching the descriptions for classrooms that might focus on something particularly meaningful to you. Help out if you feel you’re able. There is no purchase too small to unquestionably make a teacher’s (and their students’) day. Plus, buying crayons, pencils, and books that help kids learn and succeed feels really good. [Project information. Direct link to spreadsheet.]

Make the cookies: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) degrees and line two 8-inch round cake pans with rounds of parchment paper. Coat the exposed sides with butter or nonstick spray. A little extra underneath the parchment helps it stick. If you only have one cake pan, don’t fret. The batter will hold while you bake the first round.

In a large bowl, melt butter half in the microwave or in a medium-sized pot on the stove, then stir until the butter finishes melting. (This keeps the temperature down.) Add salt, brown sugar, and milk, whisking until smooth. If it’s not cool yet, let it cool a bit more (you do not want the egg to scramble or the chips to melt) before adding the egg and vanilla, whisking until combined. Sprinkle batter with baking powder and mix very well into the batter. Stir in flour and 1/2 cup (3 ounces or 85 grams) of the chocolate chips, stirring until flour disappears.

Pour half the batter into each pan and smooth the top flat. Sprinkle the tops of each round with 2 tablespoons of the chocolate chips.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until cookies are golden at the edges and set but soft in the center. Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove from the pans, peeling off the parchment underneath. I like to then transfer my cookies to the freezer for 10 minutes so that they are fully, fully cold before we begin assembling the cake. If your ice cream is rock-hard in the freezer, transfer it to the fridge for these 10 minutes so it will be easier to scoop.

Assemble the cake: Line one of the 8-inch round cake pans with plastic wrap that extends up the sides of the pan in two directions. This will make it easier to remove the cake. [An 8-inch springform can work too but risks leaking before the ice cream is fully frozen again; I’d still use some plastic inside for security.]

Place first chocolate chip cookie round top side down in the bottom of the pan. Scoop vanilla ice cream all over and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Place second chocolate chip cookie top side up on top and press it firmly against the ice cream. Use any plastic that has extended over the sides to cover the cookie, but it’s okay if it’s not fully covered.

Chill the ice cream sandwich cake for 3 to 6 hours and ideally overnight, until firm.

To finish and serve: Remove the cake from the freezer. Run a knife along the edges of the cake pan and then use the plastic wrap to help lift the cake out of the pan. Pat remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips onto the sides of the cake. Cut the cake into 8 to 12 wedges and serve right away.

Do ahead: Ice cream cake keeps in the freezer for weeks, not that I’ve ever had one last that long.

Note

The (Abridged) Blondie Chipwich (individual ice cream sandwiches) from Smitten Kitchen Keepers: To make these as individual ice cream sandwiches: pour the batter into a single 9×13-inch pan. Once baked, cut the cookie in half, flip so that the top side of each cookie faces the outside, and fill with the ice cream, using the sides of the pan to help it keep its shape. Once frozen solid again, cut into 12 small squares, and press reserved chocolate chips onto sides. For the full recipe, and 99 others that (I’m biased but) are too fantastic to miss, grab a copy of Smitten Kitchen Keepers wherever you like to buy cookbooks.

Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and use a spoon or dough whisk (I have this one) to bring it together, stirring the mixture a few times to ensure there are no unmixed pockets of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until it doubles and moves a lot when jiggled, about 1 1/2 hours at room temperature. If you won’t need the dough until later, you can transfer it to the fridge a little before it’s fully doubled and let it finish there for a few hours or overnight

Make the focaccia: Line a 9×13-inch or rimmed baking sheet (I use these but mine are very old) with a large piece of parchment paper that extends up the sides, pressed in. Drizzle parchment with 3 tablespoons olive oil and scrape risen dough onto it. Trying to not press any air out of the dough, use your hands, sliding them underneath a little, to gently stretch the dough once or twice towards the edges. No need to make it fill out the pan completely; it will get there on its own as it rises again. If you have one, coat a second 9×13-inch or rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and upend it over the focaccia pan to act as a lid for the rise. (If you don’t have one, use another large baking dish, like a lasagna pan. The dough needs room to grow.) Set aside for another 1 1/2 hours.

45 minutes to 1 hour later, prepare the toppings: Place sliced zucchini in one bowl and toss it with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside. Place sliced potatoes in a second bowl and toss them with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside. [This will soften the vegetables so they cook nicely.]

Assemble focaccia: Heat oven to 450°F. Drain zucchini and pat it dry on paper towels. Do the same with the potatoes. Carefully remove the pan covering the focaccia dough. Do not fret if the dough looks about to spill over the sides; it’s exactly right. Cover the focaccia dough with shingles of drained zucchini and potatoes (plus salami, if using), then sprinkle with rosemary needles, to taste. Drizzle focaccia with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and use your fingertips to dimple the dough several times — perhaps 20 finger impressions total. Resist over-dimpling or the focaccia becomes even, flat, and boring. Sprinkle all over with flaky sea salt.

Bake focaccia: For 30 to 38 minutes, or until a deep golden brown on top and at the edges. Keep an eye on it for the last 8 minutes and try to resist pulling it from the oven too soon. When it doesn’t brown enough, the edges soften too fast.

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes, if you can bear it. Slide the focaccia out of the pan and cut into squares [especially if you’re taking it somewhere; don’t you hate cutting up food on a picnic blanket with a plastic knife?]. Enjoy!

Leftover focaccia keeps at room temperature for a few days. Rewarming it in a 350-degree oven helps re-crisp the top.

Very key here is the size of your loaf pan because this will fill out every speck of it before it is done. Mine holds 6 liquid cups (or 1420 ml); it’s 8×4 inches on the bottom and 9×5 inches on the top. If yours is even slightly smaller or you’re nervous, go ahead and pour a little of the apple and batter mixture into a few muffin cups and bake them off. They will not go to waste.

Heat oven: To 375°F.

Prepare leeks: Trim off the root ends of the leeks and split each leek lengthwise. Slice white and light green parts 1/4-inch-thick. Place sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water and swish the leeks around, separating layers, and letting any sand/dirt fall to the bottom. Scoop the leeks out (leaving the grit at the bottom) and drop into a colander to shake them off. It’s fine if they’re still damp.

Prepare potatoes: Peel potatoes and place potato peels in a bowl of cold water, so they don’t discolor while you make the soup. Slice potatoes 1/4-inch-thick.

Make the soup: Heat a medium-sized soup pot over medium-high heat and add butter. Once melted, add drained leeks, garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and many grinds of black pepper. Cook leeks, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the broth, sliced potatoes, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. You should easily be able to break the potatoes up with a spoon.

Make the crispy skins: While the soup simmers, drain potato peels and pat them dry. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place peels on parchment and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Toss to evenly coat then spread them out in a single layer. Bake peels for 10 to 15 minutes, until dry and crisp. Check in at the 10-minute mark and add more time only as needed. Once crisp, remove from the oven and set aside.

Finish the soup: Once potatoes are tender, remove and discard bay leaf, and use an immersion blender or transfer the soup to an upright blender and blend to desired consistency. My family doesn’t like fully pureed soups (they’re wrong, but…) so I only half-blend mine. Taste and add more seasoning as needed; I usually need at least another teaspoon of salt and much more pepper.

To serve: Ladle soup into bowls. Squeeze lemon juice over each, then dollop generously with sour cream, swirling it in. Shower each soup with chives, and sprinkle the top with some crispy skins, serving the rest on the side. Eat right away.

Do ahead: I keep the toppings separate when I store the leftover soup. It keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Note:

Let’s talk about shopping for leeks: I find that at grocery stores and markets, leeks range tremendously in size and in what percentage is usable. Illogically, I find that the very thick ones often have the smallest amount of pale green/white parts vs. the thinner ones. What does this mean for you when shopping? Don’t worry, I’ve kept this recipe flexible enough that it works with a lower or higher yield of leeks. But, if you’re shopping and all you see are thick ones with smaller usable segments, feel free to grab and use extra.