Wyoming baker Lindsey Johnson shares a few of her favorite recipes from her new cookbook, Wild Sugar.
Lady in the Wild West, as Lindsey Johnson has come to be called in her Wyoming home and online baking community, makes cakes, cookies, and pastries that perfectly blend the rustic spirit of the Mountain West with culinary elegance. Try your hand at some of her favorite recipes from her latest cookbook, Wild Sugar.
Nutella Banana Bread
I’ve always been a lover of banana bread. It’s been a childhood staple. A Sunday morning treat my mom would whip up. We’d snuggle on the couch, eating it warm out of the oven, smothered in butter. I get all the cozy feels just thinking about it.
So when I saw the idea for Nutella swirled banana bread on The Kitchn, creating a beautiful swirled design, I immediately wanted to try it, but with my own recipe I’ve used for years. I love Nutella, and I love banana bread. Turns out, they love each other.
This recipe is easy to change up. Add chopped nuts, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, some freshly grated orange zest, white chocolate chips, whatever suits your fancy. I would have to imagine you could easily substitute peanut butter for the Nutella, too.
You’ll need:
- 4 medium-size very ripe bananas, mashed
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips, optional
- ¾ cup Nutella, warmed up to a pourable consistency
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour a loaf pan. Line with parchment paper, overhanging on the sides for easy lifting.
- In a large bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and beaten egg till combined.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and chocolate chips, if using.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix well with a rubber spoon.
- Pour half the batter into the pan. Using generous spoonfuls, drop half the Nutella over the top of the batter. Lightly swirl in into the batter, but don’t fully mix it in.
- Pour the remaining batter over the top. Spread the batter all the way to the sides, covering the Nutella underneath.
- In a horizontal zig-zag motion, pour the remaining Nutella over the top. I use a pastry bag filled with Nutella to make this easier. You could also use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off, or just a spoon. With a toothpick or knife, moving quickly, drag the design up and down, creating a swirl.
- Bake on center rack for 55 to 60 minutes, till a center tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes; then pull up, using the parchment paper, to let the bread cool completely. Slice and serve.
Death by Chocolate Cookies
(Makes 24 cookies)
You’ll need:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ⅔ cup good-quality Dutch-process dark cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups milk chocolate toffee bars, such as Heath, chopped into ½-inch chunks
- 8 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
- Flaked sea salt
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Place the bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot filled with 1 inch of simmering water. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl as needed. On low speed, add the melted chocolate. Mix until combined. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 2 batches. Mix until just combined. Stir in the chopped toffee bars and dark chocolate chunks.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a spoon or small ice-cream scoop, drop the batter on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake about 12 minutes, until just crisp on the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle generously with flaked sea salt. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Spiced-Eggnog Cake
Makes 1 10-cup Bundt cake, 2 cups glaze
For the Cake
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring the pan
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¼ teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, divided
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
- ¾ cup eggnog, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons dark spiced rum, divided
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
For the Glaze
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup eggnog
- 3 tablespoons spiced dark rum
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the interior of a 10-cup Bundt cake pan with the melted butter, making sure to coat all the corners. Dust the interior with flour, and then turn it over to shake out the excess. Set aside.
Cake Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, . teaspoon nutmeg, and orange zest. Set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggnog, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons rum. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, combine the butter and sugars, and then beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture. Mix for 20 seconds. Follow with half of the eggnog mixture. Repeat. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, mix 1. cups of the cake batter with the remaining 2 tablespoons spiced rum, the remaining 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir until combined.
- Pour half of the main batter in the bottom of the cake pan. Then pour the spiced batter over the top. To create a marbled effect, using a butter knife or rubber spatula, mix the spiced batter into the main batter, using a zigzag pattern. Do not overmix. Pour the remaining batter over the top.
- Bake on the center rack for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 25 to 30 minutes. Turn the cake over, carefully releasing it from the pan onto the wire rack. Allow the cake to continue cooling while you make the glaze.
Glaze Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the melted butter and cream cheese. Add half the confectioners’ sugar, followed by half of the eggnog, mixing well after each addition. Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar, followed by the remaining eggnog. Add the rum, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until silky smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a touch more eggnog and mix to combine.
- Using a spoon, generously drizzle the glaze over the cake while it’s still slightly warm. Let the cake stand for 30 minutes to set the glaze. Serve at room temperature.
NOTES: Johnson decorates this cake with sprigs of fresh rosemary and fresh cranberries coated in edible gold luster dust.
Bailey’s Mocha Cake
Makes 1 (3-layer 8-inch) cake
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground espresso powder
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
For the Whipped Coffee Ganache
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1¼ cups finely chopped high quality dark or bittersweet chocolate
- 1½ teaspoons ground espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the Bailey’s Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ⅓ cup Bailey’s Original Irish Cream
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 3 (8-inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Dust the interior of the pans generously with cocoa powder, then tip over to knock out the excess, leaving a thin coating. Set aside.
- To make the cake, in the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Very slowly, while whisking, add the hot coffee to the buttermilk mixture.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture to the cocoa mixture. Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix on medium speed for 45 to 60 seconds until fully combined. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour the batter evenly among the pans. Bake on the center rack for about 25 to 27 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning over onto a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the ganache, in a double boiler over medium heat, combine the cream, chocolate, and espresso powder. Stir often, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight until thickened.
- When ready to use, transfer the ganache to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat the ganache on medium-high speed until stiff, but still spreadable, 30 to 60 seconds.'
- To make the buttercream, in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream the butter and until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds after each addition. Add the Bailey’s, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined. On medium speed, mix for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- To assemble the cake, place 1 cooled cake layer, flat side facing down, on a cake plate. Cover the top with a generous layer of Bailey’s buttercream.
- Add a generous spoonful of the coffee ganache, leaving a 1-inch border around the cake edges. You don’t want the ganache leaking out of the sides. Place the second cake layer, flat side facing up, on top of the frosted first layer. Fill the gaps between the cake layers with buttercream. Repeat the steps with the buttercream and ganache. Fill the gaps between the cake layers with butter-cream. Place the final cake layer, flat side facing up. Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin coat of butter- cream to lock in the crumbs. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, uncovered. Remove the cake from the fridge and, with an offset spatula, apply a generous layer of buttercream frosting over the entire cake, starting at the top and smoothing down and over the sides.
NOTES: Lindsey decorated this cake with a palette knife and painting technique. The buttercream colors were tinted with Colour Mill oil-based food gels in Olive, Forest, Chocolate, Mustard, Concrete, Lemon, and Clay.
Read Lindsey Johnson’s full feature with more Wild Sugar recipes in our November/December 2024 issue.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Lindsey Johnson
Explore:Food & Drink
