around town: milk bar harvard square

while i've been hearing about milk bar for what feels like 20 years, i've never been to the flagship NYC location. so when i found out that the beloved dessert shop was opening in harvard square, i had to pay it a visit. word on the street is that as a result of purchasing the building, the owners put crema, a neighboring independent coffee shop, out of business. if true, that's pretty shitty—i adored that place and have been on a zillion dates there and have a bunch of happy memories associated with it. but, nothing good ever lasts, so i figured i'd give the new (commercial) kid on the block a shot.

 because it only opened, like, last week or something, the line was almost out the door upon my arrival. 

 oh, and it's a hybrid bakeshop AND pizza joint (stylized as "&pizza") because i guess that's trendier looking. but the line is for both? and then you split off, depending on what you want? slightly confusing for a first-timer. didn't try the pizza this time around, but it smelled absolutely delicious.

while you wait, there are temptations for impulse buys everywhere, from cookie mix to cookbooks.

i finally got up to the counter, and ordered a cornflake, chocolate chip, and marshmallow cookie and a cereal milk latte. apparently, the soft serve and milkshakes are where it's at, but it was 30 degrees out and i just can't do ice cream (or iced coffee, even) in the wintertime. at all. i know, i know, i'm weird. oh, and then there was this delightful tip jar:

 my biggest gripe is that there's absolutely no room to sit down unless you're getting pizza, which i imagine is by design considering the amount of traffic that comes through. but i was all excited to curl up with my treats and read and relax for a bit, and my dreams were quickly shattered and i had to go back into the freezing streets of harvard square instead. rough!

latte and cookie for reference:

both were good! the latte, true to its name, tasted like the slightly-sugary remnants of your cereal bowl as a kid with a nice touch of espresso, but wasn't overpoweringly sweet. i PROBABLY didn't need to eat the entire cookie in one sitting, because it was...a lot. but i did it and i don't have any regrets (and i'll almost definitely do it again in the future).

see you in the springtime for soft serve, milk bar.

a recipe for the best cake in the whole friggin' world.

sorry to say, but i've been holding out on you guys. i actually have this recipe for the most delicious, out-of-control amazing cake you've ever tasted in your life. and i've had it for a couple years now. it's top-secret stuff, but i figured that i would share it since we're heading into the season of giving and goodwill and all that jazz.

okay, i'm totally kidding about it being top secret (i snagged this baby off of pinterest). i was NOT kidding, however, about it being the best cake on the planet. it takes some time to make, as all good things do, but OMG -- when you taste it, you'll understand and everything will make sense. oh, i should mention that it's a banana cake, in case you're allergic or hate bananas. whip it up next week for thanksgiving, or at any time for anything, and you'll be everyone's new favorite person. swear. 

CAKE: 

3/4 cup butter
2 1/8 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

FROSTING:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. (DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!)
4. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

enjoy!