Yes, I’m an agronomist, but I’m also a mom and a wife. My husband, who is also an agronomist, and I have two daughters. We are proud to say that our older daughter finally realized that soil and dirt are two completely different things and when she grows up she will “do science like mom and dad". Our younger daughter did not make up her mind yet, but there are some indications that she might join the community of agronomists as well.


We are originally from Ukraine, a beautiful country in Eastern Europe. Our country is very rich in traditions, which we try to preserve and pass on to our children. Even though sometimes it can be a busy time, we feel lucky that we can celebrate two Christmases and Easters every year (orthodox and catholic).

I love to cook! My real passion is bakery and because the four of us can eat just so many cakes a week, we often have our friends, coworkers, and neighbors over for a cup of tea or traditional Ukrainian dinners. When it comes to a favorite dessert, each of us has its own! My husband likes apple pie, I love Black Forest Cake, and Victoria cannot resist blueberry dumplings. No favorites for the youngest yet. Even though, right now the most exciting things for my daughters are to lick the spoon and play with the dough, I hope they will share my passion for the cooking when they are older.

I would like to share a recipe of the cake that I borrowed from my mom. Something tells me that men came up with the name for this cake; it is called The Women’s Caprice. It consists of three different layers, which are supposed to symbolize the ever-changing mind of women (or so they say).

Women’s Caprice

For the cake you will need:
  • 3 1/3 cups self-raising flour
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 4 eggs (separate whites from yolks)
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
For the different layers:
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup raisings
  • 1 cup roasted pecans, or
  • whatever your imagination tells you
Frosting
  • 3 cups of heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup of sugar
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in yolks and vanilla. Beat in flour, alternating with buttermilk, until combined. Beat egg whites in the separate bowl until soft picks form. Carefully mix whites into batter. Divide into three equal parts and mix additional ingredients for each separate layer: cocoa powder, raisings, and pecans.

Line the bottom of three 9 inch round pans with parchment paper circles. Pour batter and bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool completely. Remove paper from the cakes.

To prepare frosting:
Beat heavy cream with sugar until light and fluffy. Spread first layer of cake with 1/3 of the filling. Repeat with the remaining layers. Enjoy.



Mom's helper

It's done!