Kvæfjordkake (Norway's national cake)

So, this is such a (Norwegian) treat and perfect as a side for your cup of coffee/tea on an afternoon. When I first heard it's called repeatedly 'World's best cake" well I couldn't but find out why..

It is basically two layers of a really flavorful cake "interrupted" by two layers of impeccable baked meringues topped with sliced almonds (!) The overhaul taste is almondy and the cake becomes more and more intense as it stays in the fridge. Recipe comes from here.

Kvæfjordkake

Ingredients

10½ tablespoons (1 stick plus 21⁄2 tablespoons) butter, softened

1 2⁄ 3 cups granulated sugar, separated

1 1⁄ 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 large eggs, separated

1⁄ 3 cup whole milk

1⁄4 cup sliced almonds

1 cup heavy cream

1⁄2 vanilla bean

1. 
   

Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle position. Line an 8-x-12-inch baking pan with parchment paper. I recomend not using glass pans, use metal.

Beat the butter and 2⁄ 3 cup of the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and baking powder and mix well on low speed. Mix in the egg yolks and milk. Scrape the batter into the baking pan.

In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining 1 cup sugar to soft peaks. Spread on top of the cake layer. Sprinkle with the almond slices.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown and puffed. Cool on a wire rack in the pan. Transfer to a cutting board.

When the cake is cool, put the cream in a medium bowl and scrape in the vanilla seeds. Discard the vanilla pod. Beat to soft peaks with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes.

Cut the cake in half crosswise with a serrated knife. Place one half of the cake on a serving tray and cover with the cream. Place the other half, meringue side up, on top. Let the cake sit for 1 hour in the fridge before serving.

Serve it with some strawberries on top to make it even more indulgent..:b Good luck!

Impromptu Profiterole

This is such a great option if you are sort of things in your pantry and you are craving for something sweet for your tooth;) So I came up with this idea of creating a profiterole with only three ingredients and believe me you won't be disappointed. You only need:

1 box of cream puffs (from the freezers dept, I used these)

some kind of dark or semi-sweet chocolate

milk or whipping cream

1 tbs honey

almond flakes

Put the cream puffs in a large bowl, melt completely the chocolate in a pan with the milk/whipping cream and the honey till it forms a nice ganache texture and then drizzle it all over the cream puffs (you decide the portion of melted chocolate you want to put on top of the puffs). Finally, sprinkle a handful of almond flakes to give it that extra crunchy texture.

Dig in and enjoy!

p.s. You can also whip some cream and add some on top! (I had literally run out of that!)

Wanna

1/ check this Capsule 24 collection jumper by Maje

2/ taste coffee at this place

3/ read this book and all about decluttering

4/ make peinirli

5/ ride this bike

6/ listen to the latest from Banks

My recipe for Tiramisu

This is an original Italian Tiramisu recipe I've been using lately and I wanted to share as the result is really light and fresh (with some fluffy tiramisu cream y'all!) yes, try it and (please) consume it in two, three days the most as this is a dessert that must be eaten right after it's been cooled down in the fridge for the very first time and the cream is at its best consistency. It's coming from a lady named Lorenza..

Tirami su di Lorenza

3 eggs, separated

3tbs to 1/2 cup granulated sugar

250gr mascarpone cheese

200gr whipped cream, whisked till it forms soft peaks

1-1 1/2 box of ladyfingers

3/4 cup strong espresso coffee, cold

4-5 tbs brandy or Marsala

100gr dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao)

Beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until a meringue is formed. In another bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar until white and fluffy. Add the mascarpone cheese into the batter of the yolks and sugar and beat until combined. Add slowly the beaten whipped cream and meringue. Whisk coffee and brandy or Marsala together and dip in it all the ladyfingers just for a second or two so that they get wet. Arrange half of them in a rectangular baking dish. Cover them with half of the cream batter. Do the same arrangement one more time. Use a serrated knife and cut the chocolate in shaves. Put the chocolate shaves on top of the cream. Put the Tiramisu in the fridge at least for 3 hours, up to overnight, until set. Enjoy!

Take me there

At Cacao sweets & treats, where everything is made from scratch, and by everything I mean everyday freshly baked treats from breads and biscuits to some of the most beautifully decorated cakes.

All of the forementioned run by the adorable owner/baker Candice Hunsinger whose ultimate life dream is to retire to Santorini, Greece :) Well, I couldn't agree with you more!

Cacao sweets & treats: 122 Center Street, downtown Grayslake, Illinois

Wanna

1/ taste these brilliantly decorated cakes by Tome-coffee shop
2/ read this book
3/ listen to Natasha Kmeto and her latest album, Inevitable
4/ spend a couple of days splishing and splashing here
5/ try out this hair color shade
6/ watch this movie

Three ingredient biscuit treat

This one is maybe the simplest dessert ever to make and the perfect deal for those late night (or early ones) cravings. You only need to have three (basic really, we all have those in our pantry) ingredients and you are ready to go. The result is unbelievably good and all you have to choose is between how intense or not you want your chocolate taste. So, depending on how light or darker you like your chocolate, adjust your chocolate you will use accordingly. I usually go with 60 to 70% of chocolate cause I'm a dark chocolate person but I'm eager to try the lighter one version ;)

Also, the original recipe uses digestive biscuits, I decided to go with the graham crackers. It turned out just fine :)

Three ingredient biscuit treat (adapted by Cool Artisan)

300 g chocolate
150 g butter
15 digestive biscuits

Smash the biscuits into large pieces. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler.  Once the chocolate and butter are melted and mixed, add the biscuits. Mix and convey into a pan you have covered with cling film. Let the cake in the refrigerator for at least one hour and then chop into cubes. Refrigerate.

Enjoy!

The easiest sweet mpougatsa recipe

Mpougatsa (or in other words cream filled pastry or savory dough) is a really delicious greek delicacy often eaten along with morning coffee or as a treat during the day and it can be found having savory or sweet fillings in its dough (its main component). Please remember and ask for it whenever you find yourselves in any of the gorgeous places of Greece, you will do yourself a favor, really. Oooooor, and till you do so, I can fulfill you with one of the recipes I currently use. This is the sweet version of it, was given to me by my mother-in-law and it already saved lots of time in the kitchen-plus: the kids of the house simply adore it.

This is the recipe I am currently using:

Mpougatsa

1/2 of an Athens fillo dough packet
220 gr butter (1 cup), cut in small cubes
14oz sweetened condensed milk
14 to 28oz water
1/2 tsp vanilla beans or paste (optional)
cinnamon and confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Arrange each of the fillo sheets on a 24cm round pan or you can choose whatever pan you like. Try to arrange them by kind of squishing them from their one side to the other. Once you have arranged all the sheets in the pan, putting them one next to the other till the pan is full of fillo sheets, spread evenly the pieces of butter on top of them.

Place the pan in the oven until the butter melts and the fillo sheets turn into golden brown. In the meantime mix the sweetened condensed milk with the 14 to 28oz of water, depending on how "full" or not you prefer your cream, I usually do a little less than the whole 28oz. You can warm the mix just a bit so that it isn't so cold when it goes in the pan. I like to add about 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla beans or paste, it creates a nice overall vanilla flavor.

Pour the milk mixture on top of the fillo sheets and continue baking until it is all absorbed by the fillo sheets. Cool for a bit and dust some cinnamon and confectioner's sugar on top!

The little things

/anniversary tulips and their awkward movements/

/flowery dresses/

/flowery covers/

/making chocolate truffles with rum/

/pink celebrations/

Take me there

 

Whenever I find myself in Honolulu, HI, I will lead myself towards The pig and the lady for a "family meal" or simply find a sit along their dessert bar (!) for a soft serve or even better: have a try on one of each kinda thing..;)

Lemon lime pound cake

This cake is what you need to keep you company with your everyday morning coffee. One of its ingredients is 7up (what????) and its base is coming from an old classic recipe for cakes used in the 70s. It is moist and so flavorful with the right amount of citrus into it. The lemon and lime zest and juices create a cake so balanced and its glaze is one of the most delicious ones, not too sweet with a hint of tartness enough as to not overpowering the sweetness of it all. Make it in a bundt pan for a fancier look ;) 

Lemon lime pound cake (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)

for the cake: 

3 sticks Butter 

3 cups Sugar 

5 whole Eggs

3 cups All-purpose Flour 

1/2 teaspoon Salt 

1 cup 7-up 

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest 

1 Tablespoon Lime Zest

for the glaze: 

2 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted 

1/4 teaspoon Salt 

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest, Dried For At Least 30 Minutes

1 Tablespoon Lime Zest, Dried For At Least 30 Minutes

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

1 Tablespoon Water + More As Needed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Combine flour and salt, then add it 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. With the mixer on low, slowly add the 7-Up until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of both lemon and lime zest and mix. Scrape the bowl and mix again.

Thoroughly spray a bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Add large spoonfuls of batter until the pan is filled, then even out the surface. Bake for 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully turn it out onto a cake plate and let it cool.

Combine all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and gently whisk until thick but pourable. Use a large spoon to drizzle it all over the cake. Let the glaze set, then slice and serve!

Optional: Sprinkle with a little extra lemon and lime zest.

Bon appetit!

Take me there

for the tea, the decor, the pastries, the salad, the tarts, the quiche, the mille-feuille, the mille-feuille, the mille-feuille, the mille-feuille, the mille-feuille..

Le Loir dans la Théière
3 Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris, France

Ricotta and dark chocolate cake

This cake is so addictive that you'll want to recreate it right after the moment you'll be chewing on the last crumbles of it. Believe me if you make it once, and especially if you are a bit of a choco fanatic, you'll be wishing you'd made two tins instead of one.

It uses melted chocolate, and specifically 72% on cacao, and that explains the richness of the chocolate taste in your mouth which I find really unique (most chocolate cake recipes call for using cocoa powder which generally gives a softer chocolate flavor on the cake).

Ricotta & Dark Chocolate Cake (adapted by Emiko Davies)

300 gr sheep’s milk ricotta

3 eggs

150 gr raw sugar

200 gr spelt flour*

1 ½ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

250 gr 72% dark chocolate, melted in a bain marie

Beat the ricotta, eggs and sugar in a bowl until you have a smooth, fluffy mixture. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and fold through until just combined. Finally, incorporate the melted dark chocolate until you have a uniform mixture. It will be quite thick. Spoon into a baking tin (prepared with some butter and dusted with cocoa powder, or some baking paper, if you don’t have a non-stick tin) and smooth the batter down, pushing it into all the edges of the tin. Bake at 180ºC for about 1 hour or until risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you like, dust with icing sugar before serving. Keep any remaining cake in the fridge, well covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to three days.

* I used all-purpose flour and it turned out fine

Serve it with tea and you'll be drooling..

The little things

/freshly brewed coffee/

/pumpkins everywhere/

/hot dogs with crispy onions on top/

/sunny weather in november/

/homemade chocolate souffle/

Hot chocolate and christmas plants.

 

these days call for a cup of hot, luscious thick chocolate, don't you think?
what I usually make lately is the following:

1 cup of milk
5 to 6oz of dark chocolate
some ground cinammon (depending on your tastes)
and a pinch of cayenne, to add a bit of spice

I mix them all in a small saucepan on a low heat till the chocolate melts and stirring continuously and in a few minutes you're good to go, sit and enjoy!

Shiny christmas-y macarons.

how yummy are these speculoos macarons? with spiced Valrhona white chocolate ganache and speculoos cookie butter is definitely to have your eyes on for a christmas treat..

find it here along with a variety of other flavor options..you can have it delivered at your door too ;)

Bloody mary making.

I recently had this bloody mary mix from trader joe's just so I can ease my way to the making of the bloody mary cocktail and it proved to be so good. This mix has also clam juice in it so maybe that's something that adds to the final taste. I just added ice and vodka, shook it well for 10 seconds, put it in my favorite mason jar mug with some squeezed lime and a celery stick and here you go: The perfect bloody mary is in your hands in 20 seconds..cheers!  

Pinkish vibes.

new favorite coat- strawberry frosting donut- blurry photo/crooked lip print from this lip balm- camelias from the frontyard- beautiful fall sunset- cream cheese cake with rhubarb marmelade..

Shawls and greek coffees.

today was a bit of a cold day, so I threw on one of my favorite shawls and effortlessly mix matched a few textures.
it is a really vintage one-it belonged to my grandmother- and I love how it flows on the body and how it can instantly transform your whole outfit..

 

I also made a cup of greek coffee in the afternoon-I really needed one of those and although my morning coffee is usually a french press or a drip one, I simply cannot get over its beyond words smell, its distinct aroma, its original and unique taste.

ok, I also had some delicious treats to pair along, is it too bad?

(knit coat/zara, mohair sweater/cos, straight jeans/uterque, shawls/vintage)