Made with love

A new romance and the beginning of a fairytale...

2012-04-16T09:50:00.000+03:00

I've been looking for the perfect cake. Not that I could generalize a cake that everyone would regard as the perfect one. I've been looking for a cake, that feels just right at the moment, perfect for this instant, this period of life. Perfect for me I guess, and hopefully perfect for others too. I was thinking about it so hard that this idea just struck me one night before falling asleep. Of course I had to stand up to write it down, I had a feeling that there was something revolutionary coming :)

I love, more than love bananas, so I wanted to bake a cake that would include my favourite ingredient of course. I also adore coconut and strawberries - I decided why not to use them too. With strawberries there comes always the white chocolate - and a touch of lemon to refresh the whole creation :) I wanted this cake to be comfortable and luxurious, decadent, at the same time. And for the frosting it had to be cream cheese, which gives such a lovely soft flavour and a texture.

Organic cream cheese.

Actually the idea for the decoration came first, the I started to build up the cake according to it, so that it would match the basic idea. The combination of white chocolate, banana, coconut and a hint of strawberry sounded irresistible. And the outcome is such a romantic, fluffy and ravishing cake. I decided to name it the Love Cake, Rakkauskakku in Finnish. I hope that when you taste it you can feel the love you used to make it. Love is the greatest of all. It's at least moderate to bake a cake celebrating it!

And then you see, it's spring. The season of love, new beginnings, new romances that lead into heartbreaking fairytales ot the ones with a happy ending. So, celebrate the beauty of life, the nobility of loving and being loved. Share this cake with your dearest, or bake it to brighten up your days filled of routine. Don't miss the message of love <3 1. Cor. 13:13. Gal. 5:22.

" Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony". Col. 3:14.

For the Love Cake "Rakkauskakku"

3,6 dl mashed ripe bananas (about four medium sized bananas)
2 tsp lemon juice
4,8 dl wheat flour
2,4 dl organic coconut flakes
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp himalaya salt
1, 8 dl (about 150g) organic butter
4 dl organic brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla sugar
1 zest of a lemon
3, 6 dl organic coconut milk

For the filling

0,5 dl organic coconut milk
juice of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla sugar
about 2 dl freezed strawberries
1 banana
2 tbsp agave syrup
about 0,5 dl organic peanut butter (I used smooth but crunchy goes perfectly too)

For the frosting and decorating

2 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil
100 g organic white chocolate with strawberry flakes

2 packages (175 g each) organic unflavoured cream cheese
1 dl icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar

one banana
some lemon juice
about 1 dl organic coconut flakes
30 g white chocolate (grated white chocolate flakes to decorate)

1. Butter the cake tin with coconut oil, flour it with organic potato starch or equivalent. Heat the oven into 150°C.

Extra virgin coconut oil.

2. In a bowl, mash the bananas, add lemon juice. Grate zest of one well washed lemon, add to the mixture and set aside. Mix the wheat flour with coconut flakes, baking soda and salt, set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar with a stand mixer until well mixed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla sugar, mix again.

4. Beat in the flour mixture alternatively with the coconut milk. Save the leftover coconut milk for the dampening of the cake.

5. Stir in banana mixture, mix well. Bake in the oven for about 2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. The baking process is a bit tricky. For the first one and a half hours keep the temperature 150°C, then for the last 30 minutes raise it to 180°C. Don't hesitate to bake it long enough. Be patient, it's worth it :) Put a foil on top of the cake to stop the surface from getting too brown or hard.

6. Remove from oven and let it cool down in the room temperature for 2-3 hours. Put to the fridge overnight, it gets better and more moist. You can also serve it the same day, but I suggest this because it gets better and better in the fridge!

7. Take strawberries out from the freezer half an hour earlier so that they melt a bit. Prepare the filling: mash one banana. Puré the freezed strawberries with a hand mixer. Combine the two mixtures, pour 2 tbsps of agave syrup to sweeten it up a bit.

8. Take the cake from the fridge, remove it carefully from the tin. It should be easy to remove, especially of you've put baking paper on the bottom of the tin.

9. Cut the cake carefully into two halves horizontally from the center. Mix together lemon juice, coconut milk and vanilla sugar, with a tablespoon sprinkle over the bottom and the upper part to give the cake some moisture and flavour.

10. Spread the peanut butter on the bottom, then the strawberry-banana filling. Put the upper part of the cake on top. Don't put too much of the filling, otherwise it comes out from the sides.

11. Prepare the frosting. Take the cream cheese to the room temperature about half an hour earlier, it will make the frosting a bit smoother. Melt the white chocolate together with the virgin coconut oil in a small kettle over a bigger kettle with simmering water. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Set aside.

12. Prepare the decorations. Cut one banana into slices. Take about 1 dl of coconut flakes on a wide bowl. Put a baking paper near you so that you can but the dipped banana slices on it to cool down. Dip the banana slices one by one in the chocolate, then dip them in coconut flakes. Let them rest for a while.

13. You'll have plenty of the white chocolate mixture left, use it for the frosting. Mix it together with the cream cheese. Add vanilla sugar and then add the icing sugar. Mix until the frosting is smooth. Spread beautifully on top of the cake. Then put the dipped banana slices on top of the cake, making a round around the edges. Grate some white chocolate and sprinkle on the sides on top of the banana slices.

14. Share with your family, friends...the people you love - or just anyone who might need a slice of pure love :)

Dreamers can never be tamed - are you ready to travel?

2012-04-12T17:19:00.011+03:00

Sometimes a will to go somewhere very far, to a distant, exotic and warm place really hits me. I feel a desperate urge to take the first plane to Mumbai or other suitable destination. But then the reality comes..there's no way to travel. So what do I do? I cook.

My way to go on an imaginary trip is to choose a recipe that fits my travelling desires. India has been my favourite for a long time - I find it very intriguing. I love Indian food and Indian spices, I love the colourful way of preparing it. It's made for all our senses. It's amazing how spices can turn very simple ingredients into most luxurious combinations of flavours. I think it's almost impossible to go wrong with Indian food.

I found a great food blog called "Chef In You". It's specialised in vegan and vegetarian recipes and contains a lot of Indian recipes too. I was excited to find so many different versions of this pan bread, which I guess is called "Paratha". It's so lovely...The original recipe that was my inspiration is found here: http://chefinyou.com/2010/07/hara-bhara-paratha/. My version is different of course but with the same basic idea.

When it comes to my travel today it was perfect :) Having an idea or a theme is a wonderfully efficient way to indulge into cooking - time went really fast and I really could feel the atmosphere of the Indian kitchen. Maybe on a street somewhere, with a huge frying pan to bake the breads...Oh dear, someday I wish to experience it for real.

But for all the dreamers, this helps. We must allow some pre-enjoyment for ourselves, while our dreams are waiting to come true. So, I suggest let's travel!

Hara Bara Paratha with a zucchini, leek, cottage cheese and onion filling

10-12 pieces

For the dough

2 cups freezed spinach
3-4 cups flour ( about 8 dl)
(I mixed hemp flour, spelt flour, rye flour and wholewheat flour -> more vital!)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp natural yogurt or quark (I used quark, turned out great!)

For the filling

1 zucchini
5 cm piece of leek
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves
3-4 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 cup cottage cheese
fresh coriander and parsley, a handful or more of both
freshly grounded pepper
himalaya salt
spices: coriander, cumin, kurkuma, garam masala, curry, paprika, mint, ginger, just a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg - amounts according to your taste :)

1. To make the dough, boil the freezed spinach until it softens. Pour the water out and put into a blender with the quark or yogurt to make it a smooth mixture. Mix together salt and flour, add the spinach mixture. Knead into a dough, add flour until it's not sticky anymore. Let it rest covered for five minutes.
2. To make the filling grate the zucchini, cut the leek and wash it well (it might have some mudd in between the layers), cut the onion into small pieces, crush the garlic. Sauté onion, garlic and leek in olive oil, add sunflower seeds and fry for a couple of minutes, on a lower heat. Mix together all the ingredients in a big bowl. When you add the spices use them carefully but do not be afraid to use many different spices together, because they aren't hot. Indian food is ought to be spicy. Just taste the mixture until you're satisfied :) But use only half a teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Flour a table and knead the dough for a while to make it firm.

4. Deal it in two, then deal the halves into five or six pieces. Use a rolling pin to make a round, then put two spoonfuls of the filling in the middle. Gather the sides together into the middle, press them down with your hand put some flour on top and again use the rolling pin to make a round bread.

5. When you've prepared all the breads, heat a pan on quite a high temperature (in my stove the highest is 9 so I used 7 for baking these). Bake the breads in olive oil from both sides. Once the pan is hot it goes quite fast, so be careful not to burn them but to let them get a beautiful brown surface with spots.
6. Serve Parathas hot with some butter or Indian yogurt sauce called Raita.
7. Then eat. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and have a bite - can you feel the warm Indian wind that brings to you the smell of spices, flowers, dust from the road and the dampness of the river flowing somewhere near you...Can you hear the music that is played on the streets, ot the laughter of the children playing? I'm sure you can. ;)

There comes the sun and a greater joy with it - quark buns for Easter

2012-04-03T19:37:00.012+03:00

I love quark. Who wouldn't? Ok maybe there are some people who don't, but I must declare that these quark buns (or pies, whatever you want to call them) are irresistable. It was truely a touching moment when we tasted them with my family, fresh from the oven...it brought us memories from those days when my grandmother used to bake this kind of buns. These tasted just as authentic, so soft, fluffy with a perfect texture.

And then the filling...the combination of lemon, raisins and quark is like a dream come true. The buns are made by a classic Finnish recipe and usually we bake them at Easter, even though it's possible to find them any time of the year in the bakeries. Still I think the best ones you get if you bake them yourself :)

I know this exalting description of buns might seem a bit too much, but for any food lover it's ordinary, every day analysis of the things you eat. Because when we eat, don't we quite logically want to have the best? At least I do. It's not selfish - we all have a permission to enjoy our lives and to take care of ourselves. Eating well and balanced brings us energy and joy, not to forget to enjoy some treats time to time. And, actually Easter is coming so it truely is a massive reason to celebrate! So. Go to your nearest grocery store, buy all the ingredients you need and start baking. You don't want to miss these.

Quark buns - "Rahkapulla" in Finnish

Dough

125g butter
1/2 tbsp cardamom
2 1/2 dl milk
25 g fresh yeast
1 dl brown sugar
1/2 tsp himalaya salt
1 egg
about 8 dl wheat flour (550g)

For buttering

1 egg and a pinch of salt

For the filling

250g quark
3/4 dl sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla sugar
1/2 dl cream (can be double cream)
1 egg
the peel and juice of one lemon
1/2 dl raisins

1. Melt the butter in a kettle (make sure it doesn't get too hot) and add the cardamom, so you get a lovely flavour from it. Add the milk and mix together, warm to the temperature of your hand.

2. Crumble the yeast in a big bowl and add the milk-butter mixture, mix well until the yeast has "disappeared".

3. Add sugar, salt and one egg mixing well. Add flour little by little mixing all the time. It's the best option to use a kneading machine with a kneading hook, it makes it a lot easier. You can also knead with your hands. Knead until the dough is "bouncy" and doesn't get stuck to the sides of the bowl anymore. But it's good not to make it too thick, so leave it a bit soft if possible.

4. Let the dough rise for half an hour so it doubles. When it has doubled, knead the air bubbles away.

The dough. Quite lovely indeed.

5. Make small buns from the dough, knead them well into round balls with an even surface. Let them rise on a baking sheet for half an hour.

6. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Wash the lemon well, grate the peel away and then press the juice out from the lemon. Mix all the ingredients of the filling together.

7. Warm the oven into 225°C degrees. Mix one egg with salt for the buttering. Press a dimple to the small buns using the bottom of a drinking glass.

8. Butter the buns and then fill the dimple with the quarkmixture. Bake the quark pies in the oven for about 10 minutes. Let them cool down and enjoy fresh...mmm lovely.

For the lovers of Naan bread - how to bake it at home

2012-03-30T11:07:00.011+03:00

Today my mission is to bake my all time favourite bread, the Indian Naan bread. I'm going to take it to our church's youth evening, where we usually serve some food. My friend is cooking Dhal from lentils, so it will be a perfect companion for the bread :)It's lovely to share food as well, as we share our thoughts and our lives. Fun & Food - two basic things indeed.

This recipe is very simple and always succesful. It is essential to use good ingredients and to enjoy the baking process...and to eat them fresh! They are best on the very day of baking. And you have to be careful not to burn them in the oven, they get ready quite quickly. They are wonderfully soft from the inside, a bit moist which is ideal. I altered the original recipe a bit, changing the buttering after oven into oiling, to have a better fat consistency - and I also love the taste of olive oil. But if you prefer some salty butter, of course feel free to use it.

This recipe makes about 6-8, depends how big you make them. I dealed the dough into 8 pieces, and the breads are still quite big for one person. Double the recipe if you're planning to share the bread with a lot of friends :)When you serve them, I suggest some sauce (for example indian style cucumber-yogurt sauce or any nut spread)

Naan bread

2 dl natural yogurt (I use either thick greek or turkish yogurt and organic if possible)
2 dl water
1 tsp himalaya salt
9 dl wheat flour, or half of it wholewheat to have some fibre, gives some more flavor and makes it more filling
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp olive oil

For the buttering:

0,5 dl olive oil (or same amount melted butter)
1 tsp paprika
some cummin powder, garam masala, kurkuma or ginger powder - use your favourites!
add a hinch of himalaya salt if you wish, but not necessary

1. Mix all dry ingredients together. Heat the oven to 250°C.

2. Mix together the wet ingredients and add into the dry ingredient mixture. Knead the dough in the bowl forcefully to make it fluffy enough. Then continue forceful kneading on a floured table to get a good consistency.

3. Deal the dough into 6-8 pieces, roll them to balls. Put them on a baking sheet, cover them with a cloth and let them rest for 10 minutes. Then, make them flat with a rolling pin, form into oval shape. Make them thin.

4. Let them rest covered on a baking sheet for five minutes. Bake them in oven for about five minutes, until they get a beautiful golden brown colour on the sides. If you have kneaded them well, they should rise in the oven and look like balloons with an air pocket in the middle.

5. Mix the olive oil or butter with the spices and butter the Naan breads. Serve fresh from the oven! Enjoy.

Beautiful bagels for a beautiful life

2012-03-17T18:36:00.010+02:00

The last time I posted something was almost two years ago. It's hard to believe that I'm back again - actually I just felt that I must continue writing this blog. Of course I've been cooking as much as before all this time, you could never separate me from the kitchen.
Last week baking these bagels (that have the honour to be my first come back recipe) changed everything. They were so delicious and lovely so that I couldn't keep the recipe only to myself. The pictures really speak for themselves, who could resist such adorable creatures as these little bagels? :)

Baking them surprised me, because I thought it would be much more complicated. Actually it turned out to be a lot of fun - especially the part of the process when you boil them in the water. It became my new favourite "home baked bread" recipe. Why to buy those bagels from market, whose ingredients are suspectable (and probably not that natural anymore), when you can experience the joy of making them yourself?

Well, I recommend you to start baking and feel the special kind of happiness that only self-made bread can bring :) And I recommend you to use organic ingredients, whenever you can. Oh and one thing, I made these bagels a bit more different from the mainstream not using only wheat flour, but making my own mixture. Turned out tasty with a good texture, and a bit more vital!

This one is a real beauty, but it "lost" its hole in the oven :D

Bagels

about 16 pieces

5 dl water
50g yeast
2 1/2 tsp himalayan salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp rape seed oil or any vegetable oil of good quality
2 dl buckwheat flour
4 dl wholewheat barley flour
6 dl wholewheat flour
(1 dl oatmeal)

For boiling them

water and a big kettle
3 tbsp agave syrup
2-3 tbsp himalayan salt

For the "topping"
sesame seeds about 2 dl
oatmeal about 2-3 dl

1. Warm up the water to the temperature of your hand. Let then yeast melt into it. Add sugar, salt and oil, then add the flours and oatmeal mixing together all the time. You can add more flour if the dough stays too sticky, but remember to leave it a bit more softer than normally when you bake bread. Let the dough rise in a warm place so that it doubles.
2. Warm the oven to 225°C. Take to baking sheets and cover them with baking paper.
3. Knead the dough with some flour a little bit, then deal it to 16 pieces or less, if you want BIG bagels. Make "breadrolls", then push a hole into the middle of them and push your whole finger through and let the bagel roll a bit around your finger until the hole is big enough.
4. Boil water with agave syrup and salt (make sure there's enough water) in a big kettle. Add bagels to the water. When they rise to the surface, boil them from both sides 1-2 minutes, then move to the baking sheet. It's good to use a ladle with holes.
5. Pour the sesame seeds onto one plate and the oatmeal to another. Roll the bagels in the topping you wish, then put back to the baking sheet. Whean ready, bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until ready.
6. Eat them fresh from the oven or let them cool down. If you let them cool down, cut into a half toast them before eating. Fill with anything you like, cream cheese is the classic option but I must say that you can use your imagination - I found out they were lovely with some peanut butter, honey and sliced banana. Of course it depends on the fact if you wish to eat them with a salty or sweet filling. Then, just enjoy!

The most delicious chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

2010-06-04T15:38:00.021+03:00

Every single time I bake something with chocolate I use Finnish Fazer's baking chocolate. I think that it's the best chocolate you could use, and by using it I have always succeeded very well. These cupcakes are one of the best things you could imagine, if you're a friend of chocolate - and tell me someone who isn't. Tomorrow we are going to celebrate the end of the school year with my friends, and I want to surprise them by bringing these cupcakes :) I hope they like them.

This is the third time I'm baking these chocolate cupcakes, but every time I have changed the recipe a bit and this time I have changed it to make the cupcakes super delicious and chocolaty. You know in Finland we are used to say that the third time tells the truth, and I think with these cupcakes it fits perfectly. And I just love cream cheese frostings, so I thought that this time I'll make one. And I have to admit that I tasted the frosting and it was superior good! And the dough also...Tomorrow I'll have a proper taste. But these cupcakes came out quite pretty, don't you think?

Ingredients:

114 g Bittersweet dark Chocolate broken into small pieces

240  ml all-purpose flour

60 ml unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

120 ml milk

60 ml cup water

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil (olive or rape oil)

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

110 g  Bittersweet dark Chocolate, broken into small pieces

75 g butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

320 ml  powdered sugar

Directions:

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Paper-line 22 (small, 14 big) muffin cups.

2. Melt the chocolate in a metal dish attached to a pot with boiling water.  Stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

3. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Combine milk and water in small glass measure. Beat brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl on high for 2 minutes. Beat in melted chocolate. Beat flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture. 

4. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

5. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.Don't over bake them, it's better if they're a bit soft.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. 

For the cream cheese frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate the same way as before, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature.

2. Melt the butter in microwave, until it's liquid like.  Mix the powdered sugar and vanilla extract with the cream cheese, add the melted chocolate and butter. Mix well to make an even icing. It should be light and fluffy. 

3. Spread the frosting over the cupcakes with a spatula. 

For decoration you can grate some dark chocolate, or you can us your imagination and figure out some other decorations as coconut flakes or nonpareils...

Mushroom & shiitake mushroom pie

2010-05-17T20:52:00.008+03:00

I just love different kinds of mushrooms. Especially shiitake mushroom. Did you know that it's super healthy?It's almost like a medicine - it prevents the development of tumors, helps cure allergies and viruses, helps to lower the cholesterol and contains a lot of vitamin D. Great for vegans and vegetarians! And for everyone else.

 This pie contains almost all of my favourite ingredients. It tastes unquestionably good, it's good for your health - what else do you need? I added oatbran to the crust, and the crust is made of wholewheat flour only, so it contains a great deal of fiber. And I love the texture. You might wonder about the spices - I assure you it's a lovely combination. I think Indian spices are really one of the best ones. Especially I love cumin. And the smell of these spices is just stunning. I think food would be nothing without spices, and without garlic and fresh herbs. They just create something magnificent and superior. Try it!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 dl water

1 dl rape oil

1 dl oatbran

3 dl wholewheat flour

For the filling:

2 onions

4 garlic cloves

100g shiitake mushrooms

400g common mushrooms

1/4 eggplant

olive oil for frying

2 tsp himalaya salt

plenty of black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin (or a bit more if you're into spices!)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ginger

a pinch of garam masala

1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

2 eggs

2 dl milk

70g tomato puree

1 dl grated cheese

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Butter a big pie mould with rape oil. 

2. To make the dough, pour water and oil into a big bowl, add all the other ingredients, beat with hands into a even crust batter. Pat with hands the batter into the pie mould, cover the sides too. 

3. Slice the onions, crush the garlic and slice the eggplant into small pieces. Fry them in a pan in some olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Remove, put into a big bowl. 

4. Wash all the mushrooms, cut the ends away. Cut into small cubes. Fry in the same pan in some olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Put into the same bowl with the onions. Mix together. 

5. Then add all the spices into the mushroom-onion mixture. Mix well. 

6. Spread the onion-mushroom mixture over the crust. 

7. Mix together using a whisk the eggs, milk and tomato puree. Pour over the pie. Sprinkle the grated cheese over, then bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. 

8. Remove and enjoy!

Blueberry & vanilla pie

2010-05-15T20:05:00.009+03:00

I had a lot of trouble in figouring out what the name would be for these things I made this morning. I'm not sure if you can call them blondies, because there isn't any chocolate in the dough. So I decided they would be a pie, because it's quite neutral and it fits everything. The most important thing is that they tasted great!

 We were out on a picnic today with my friends. The weather has been so nice last three days, and so warm! I love sitting in a park and wathcing to the ocean and listening to the screaming seagulls. That's truely summer! So I wanted to bake something delicious for us today and this idea of the pie came to me. I modified originally a kind of brownie recipe into this recipe - I had to remove the chocolate from it because one of my friends is allergic to it. So these came out - and I was very satisfied. Everyone praised these.

Ingredients:

For the batter:

2oog butter

3 eggs

3dl brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

5dl plain white flour

1 dl potato starch

2 tsp baking powder

3 dl blueberries

1 dl soymilk or ordinary milk

For the frosting:

50g butter

1 dl vanilla sauce

about 4 dl powdered sugar (to make frosting thick enough)

For the decoration nonpareils or coconut flakes

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Melt the butter, let it cool down a bit. Beat the eggs with the sugar into a foam. Mix the flour, potato starch and baking powder together. 

2. Add the flour mixture, milk, vanilla extract and the melted butter by turns to the sugar-egg mixture, carefully, add the blueberries. It's not so serious if the berries colour the batter a bit, you can't avoid it. I think it looked lovely, when the batter was all purple!

3. Spread the batter over a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, depending how thick is the batter. Remove, cool down well. 

4. To make the frosting, melt the butter. Add vanilla sauce and powdered sugar, mix well. 

5. Spread over the well cooled base, be careful - if it's still warm the frosting pours over the edges.

6. When the frosting is set, decorate! And then, cut to pieces and enjoy :)

Rhubarb and red currant pie

2010-05-13T10:53:00.019+03:00

This warmhearted pie makes me think of a warm summer evening. I love the combination of rhubarb, red currants and vanilla. With a bite of this pie you can have it all. It's easy to bake and quick too. And tastes lovely...Just perfect.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
2 dl plain flour
1 dl oat brans
1/2 dl brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 dl rape oil
1 egg

For the filling:
5 dl fresh or frozen rhubarb cubes
2dl red currants fresh of frozen
2 dl vanilla sauce
1 dl brown sugar
1 egg

1. Heat the oven to 200 C degrees. Mix the flour, oat brans, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the oil and the egg. Mix into an even batter.

2. Spread into a pie mould, smooth with your fingers, remember to cover the sides too. Spread the berries over the batter.

3. Mix togeher vanilla sauce, sugar and one egg. Spread over the berries.

4. Bake in the oven for about 25-39 minutes, until set and ready and the sides are lightly brown. Cool down well, enjoy!

Chocolate chip and peanut cookies

2010-05-13T10:33:00.009+03:00

I've missed baking so much. I realised it this morning, when I started to bake these cookies and a rhubarb & red currant pie. I have this small holiday (four days) from school and I thought that now when I have time I'll bake something lovely and delicious! And who could resist cookies with chocolate chips and exuberant flavour of peanut? At least I can't. All I can say is that they taste amazing, it's truly a bad temptation to have a plate of these cookies on your kitchen table...they'll disappear quite soon. And I have to mention that when my brother tasted these he said these cookies saved his morning :)

Ingredients:
makes 14 BIG cookies

125g soft butter
1 1/2 dl brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2,5 dl plain flour
120g (one little package) Fazer's baking chocolate chips (Taloussuklaarouhe)
1dl minced peanuts

1. Heat the oven to 200 C degrees.
2. Beat together butter, salt, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs to a fluffy foam.

3.Mix together baking powder, chocolate chips, nuts and flour.

4. Mix the two mixtures well with each other.

5. Put spoonfuls of the dough into two baking sheets, covered with baking parchment. Don't spread the dough, it will spread in the oven.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool down well before eating. ENJOY!

Apple & cinnamon muffins with delicious crumb topping and baked with love

2010-04-10T12:04:00.025+03:00

It's been about three weeks or more since I last time posted something. That's quite a long time, and today I thought it's the time to bake something. So I've been having little break in blogging, but now I think I'm ready to start again. It's a really pity that school and other things have taken so much time that there hasn't been any left for cooking!

Today I baked these lovely, moist and utterly delicious apple & cinnamon muffins. I know that it's not the "apple time" but I had a can of non-sweetened applesauce so I thought why not to use it and figured out the recipe for these muffins. I really love the dough, it's so moist and exuberant! And the wholewheat flour and the rape oil makes it a healthier choice! But if you think the taste of the wholewheat flour is too healthy, use only plain wheat flour. And the crumb is so amazing. I love this kind of big muffins, you can eat them as dessert, breakfast or an evening snack! They're irresistable. So bake these and have a unforgettable bite!

Ingredients:

about 11 muffins

For the dough:

4 dl wheat flour

3 dl wholewheat flour

1 dl oatmeal

1,6 dl brown sugar (for example muscovado)

1 tsp salt (himalaya)

2 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1,2 dl soymilk

1,2 dl rape oil (or some other oil, olive oil goes well too)

1 tsp vanilla extract

125 g can apple sauce unsweetened

1 big redyellow or green apple, diced into small chunks

For the crumb topping:

50 g butter

2 dl white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 dl oatmeal

1 dl wholewheat flour

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients, then mix the wet ingredients and combine with the flour mixture. If the dough seems dry, add some more soymilk. Fold in the apple chunks (I think it's good to have plenty of them).

3. Fill 2/3 of the muffin cups, so there's some space for them to rise in the oven.

4. To make the crumb topping, melt the butter inthe microwave, add sugar, cinnamon, oatmeal and wheat flour and mix together well. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.

5. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Enjoy fresh from the oven!

Have you ever heard of raw brownies?

2010-03-07T18:38:00.005+02:00

I'm so excited about raw food. I've been searching for raw recipes in the net and found this promising brownie recipe. I love brownies, and decided to try if the raw version could compete with the ordinary baked brownie. I changed the recipe a bit, added the cocoa nibs, I think it gives a nice crunchy feeling. If you like more brownies with a smooth texture, I recommend not putting cocoa nibs and mincing the almonds to a very fine pulver.

So, today I made this new experimentation amongst raw food. I love all the ingredients, the result can't be anything else than utterly delicious. And I have to say these raw brownies really surprised me, because they were scrumptious, lovely and wonderful! They melted in your mouth and really were what you call exuberant, and the most important thig is they really tasted like brownies. And looked liked one's too, don't you think?

The recipe is very simple, it just takes a bit time to soak the almonds and mince them. Otherwise it's very easy and quick. And a feast to your mind and body...Mmmm! I think I'm going to try other raw desserts too, when I have time.

Ingredients:

4 dl soaked, minced organic almonds

450g soft, pitted organic dates (medjool is the best!)

5 tbsp organic raw cocoa powder

4 tbsp organic raw cocoa nibs

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1-2 tbsp raw agave nectar (to taste)

lucuma and cocoa powder, to sprinkle over

1. Put the dates into a blender, mince them with a little bit of water into a fluid paste. Put them into a big bowl, add the minced almonds and rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

2. Put into square baking dish, sprinkle over some lucuma powder and cocoa powder.

3. Place in the freezer at least for an hour. Cut into pieces and enjoy! You can serve it with for example berries or raw ice cream. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

Raw chocolate revolution

2010-02-25T19:31:00.013+02:00

What if you didn't have to feel guilty about eating chocolate? What if chocolate could be one of the most healthiest things you could imagine? Does it sound like an impossible thing to you? Raw chocolate is the answer. It's made only from organic and the most healthy and highly nutrient ingredients: raw cocoa beans, cocoa butter, extra virgin coconut oil, raw cocoa powder, lucuma-powder,maca-powder, agave-syrup and organic cashew nuts. If you have some knowledge about superfoods, you recognize that maca and lucuma powder and raw cocoa beans belong to them. They have many amazing effects on your body and mind.

For example raw cocoa contains over 1200 active ingredients, and 10% of it's weight is antioxidants. So it protects our body ia from heart diseases. Raw cocoa contains more antioxidants than goji-berry, blueberry, acai-berry, red wine and pomegranate all together. Isn't it incredible? Raw cocoa is also a great source of vital minerals: iron, manganese, chrome, brimstone, zinc and copper. Furthermore it's an excellent source of fibers. It also has unique qualities, that effect on our brain functions and the feel of happines.

This chocolate is a revolution. It's suitable for everyone, it's delicious, and the most important thing is that it's healthy!! I mean you can eat it and you can think at the same time that oh, this does so many good things for me, I'll feel even better after enjoying this, no hard feelings at all, only pure joy! You don't have to eat chocolate secretly, not anymore, when you eat raw chocolate you can be proud of it.

Did you know that every chocolate is made from cocoa beans? However, the difference between an ordinary chocolate and raw chocolate is huge. Ordinary chocolate contains only about 30% of cocoa beans, all the rest is all kinds of filling agents that have nothing to do with the real chocolate. And the cocoa beans in ordinary chocolate have none of their valuable nutrients left, all of them disappear when the producers manipulate the beans in the process of making chocolate - for example roasting the beans destroys all the important antioxidants and vitamins. And it's very normal that ordinary chocolate contains milk powder, soy lecithin, milk fats, palm tree oil or artificial aromas, that are not so good for you.

So the acquaintance with raw chocolate is very recommendable. I feel so moved by this chocolate, it opened a whole new world to me. I hope you can feel it too, because it's so amazing. I'm really running our of words. Maybe I'll just explain now how you should do it.

It might be hard to find all the ingredients for this chocolate, but I think yo can find them from well equipped organic shops. Draw your attention to the quality of the ingredients, it's very important to use only the best. Choose products that are packed well.

This recipe is a basic recipe, you can add different nuts, dried fruits or berries (e.g. goji-berry), different powders (e.g.spirulina) and spices, e.g. cinnamon, genuine vanilla, mint or chili. Anything you like. It's very easy to make (I was very surprised how easy it was) and it's quickly done. And the result is so pretty, cute little hearts or other chocolates, depending on the forms you use. I fell in love with the raw chocolate, instantly. I can't wait to try new combinations of different flavours - I want to try it with cinnamon the next time.

All the ingredients.

Raw cacao beans.

Extra virgin coconut oil.

Maca-powder.

Agave syrup.

Ingredients:

4 dl grated organic raw cocoa butter

1 big tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 dl organic raw cocoa beans

1 dl organic raw cashew nuts

1 dl organic lucuma-powder

1 big tsp organic maca-powder

2 big tbsps raw cocoa powder

1 big tbsp organic agave syrup

(dried fruits, spices, herbs etc.)

1. Peel the cocoa beans using a knife and nails.

2. Bruise the cocoa beans and the cashew nuts into tiny bits.

3. Melt the cocoa butter and the extra virgin coconut oil in a kettle over another kettle of simmering water, the temperature of the butter shouldn't rise over 40°C degrees.

4. Add cocoa powder into melted butter, add agave syrup and then all the other ingredients. Mix well, with a teaspoon put into a silicone form and cover with a glad wrap. Put into fridge for 10-15 mins until set. It happens quite quickly!

5. Remove from the forms, put on a beautiful plate and enjoy, really, really enjoy because this chocolate really is the one you can enjoy, without any guilt!

Banana bread with chocolate & hazelnut paste

2010-02-21T17:33:00.012+02:00

I've been very busy the last two weeks, I haven't really had time for blogging. Today is the second day of my holiday. It's snowing very hard and I'm really thinking that if it doesn't stop soon we'll be drowning in the snow. And last two days the temperature has been minus 20 °C degrees - being outside is like wandering on the northern pole! The only reasonable thing to do is to stay inside and to bake this lovely, warming and melting in the mouth banana bread. It's a very healthy and good for you recipe (if you don't count the chocolate, but actually dark chocolate is healthy!), it includes a lot of healthy vegetable fats, and no sugar used, only natural sweeteners. I used various flours to make this bread packed with important vitamins and minerals and of course fiber.

So when the weather gets cold and frigid, I advise you to bake this banana bread, enjoy it with a cup of hot tea and sit by the fireplace under a warm blanket - soon you'll forget all about the winter and it's wretchedness. And if you don't have a fireplace, you can always imagine.

Ingredients:

For the banana bread:

3 ripe bananas

125 g seedless dates 

2 eggs

0,5 dl rape oil

0,5 dl soymilk

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp himalaya rose salt

1/2 dl minced hazelnuts

1 dl quinoa flakes

1 dl soyflour

1 dl wholewheat flour

1 dl buckwheat flour

2 tbsp honey

For the chocolate & hazelnut paste:

3 dl minced hazelnuts

1 dl melted dark chocolate

dollop of rape oil, to make this paste fluid

1. Heat oven into 200°C degrees. Boil some water, soak the dates for 5 mins to soften them a bit. Chop the softened dates into tiny bits. 

2. Beat the eggs into a foam. Add the dates, add oil. Mash two of the bananas. 

3. Mix together all the dry ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients with the egg-mixture and the mashed bananas, add soymilk. 

4. Fold a long shaped bread mould with parchment paper, pour the batter on it. Cut the third banana into slices, put into a line on top of the batter. Spread honey over.

5. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, try with a stick if it's ready. Remove from the oven. 

6. Mix together the minced hazelnuts and the melted chocolate, add oil to make a smooth paste. 

7. Serve the banana bread with the chocolate & hazelnut paste. 

Runeberg's tarts

2010-02-04T21:22:00.009+02:00

Today, the 5th of February, we celebrate our national poet's, Johan Ludvig Runeberg's birthday. He was a Finnish Swedish-speaking poet, writer and a journalist, whose production was very patriotic. Her wife, Frederika Runeberg was a great writer too.

These tarts we bake and eat every year have a story. J.L. Runeberg had a sweet tooth, so he often asked his wife to bake him something. But they didn't have any special ingredients, and that's why Frederika decided to use those she could find in her cupborad: wheat flour, biscuit crumbs and almonds. The result was a delicious tart, which is named after Runeberg. The story tells that Runeberg loved to have these tarts when eating breakfast, and that he enjoyed these with punch. 

I love Runeberg's tarts, and it's a must thing to bake these every year. So step inside to the history of Finland and enjoy one of these fabulous tarts!

Ingredients:

makes about 18

300g butter

4 dl dark muscovado sugar

4 eggs

5 dl wheat flour

1 dl minced almonds

16 crushed digestive cookies

3 tsp baking powder

2 dl cream

2 tsp cardamom

2 drops bitteralmond extract

For the decoration:

raspberry jam or  marmalade

water

powdered sugar

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. 

2. Beat the sugar with melted butter into a foam, add eggs individually. 

3. Mix together the dry ingredients, add cream and combine with the sugar-egg-butter mixture. Add bitteralmond extratct, mix well. 

4. Divide into about 18 muffin cups or use silicone moulds like I did. Fill 2/3 of the cups, so the dough doesn't rise over the edges. 

5. Bake in the oven for about 15-18 minutes, try with a stick if the tarts are ready. Remove from the oven. 

6. Let the tarts cool down, remove from the mould and turn over, put on a plate. Decorate the tarts with raspberry jam and icing made from powdered sugar and water. ENJOY!

Warming peasoup for cold winter days and Finnish pancake for dessert

2010-01-30T14:51:00.013+02:00

This peasoup is a classic soup in Finland, usually eaten in wintertime. I remeber that I've eaten it since my early childhood, and we've always had some pancake after that for dessert. It's actually a quite simple meal, but very tasty. And it's eaten almost in every Finnish home, only the method of cooking varies a bit.

 My version of the peasoup is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. The pancake I made with soymilk, and I have to say that it was excellent. The time of cooking the soup is very long, so it's not a soup you can make from awhile impulse. You have to remeber to put the peas into the water the evening before. But otherwise it's a very simple soup. And remeber to serve it with Finnish Turunmaa mustard! Or some other mustard, it might be hard to find Turunmaa abroad :) 

 And I must tell you that if you wonder the amount of the soup (it's quite a lot) the reason is that we always make about this much and then we freeze it. Because it's quite effortful to make, and it's easy just to take it from the freezer and warm some if in a hurry. And you can put some of it into the fridge too, it tastes even better the next day!

Peasoup

for about 15 people

Ingredients:

make this soup in a big 5 liter kettle

1 kg dried peas

3-4 liters water

2 carrots, peeled and grated

2 big onions, chopped into tiny chunks

olive oil

marjoram 2 tbsp

plenty of back pepper

herbamare, according to your taste

fresh parsley, two handfuls, chopped

3 tbsp mustard, and for the serving also (you can add some more when you eat if it feels like it)

1. The evening before put the peas into the kettle, pour 3-4 litres of water (so that the peas float in there). 

2. If the peas have absorded the water the next day, add some more. Bring the water to boil, lower the temperature and cook for 1- 1,5 hours, until you can see that the structure of the soup has changed and the peas are softened. While cooking check the soup occasionally, if the zests of the peas have come off and risen to the surface, use a large spoon and remove them. 

3. Sauté the chopped onions in olive oil, add with the grated carrots.  Mix well, add the spicesand herbs. Put enough salt to satisfy you. Let the soup boil over a low heat for half an hour or so, until it's thick enough. 

4. Before serving decorate with soycream and peashoots. 

Finnish pancake

about 16 serves

1 liter soymilk (or ordinary, if you prefer)

3 eggs

2 tbsp rape oil

about 1 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

5 dl plain wheat flour

1. Pour the milk into a big bowl. Add the eggs, oil and the other ingredients. Mix well with a whisk, put into the fridge for 30 minutes to swell. 

2. Heat the oven into 200°C. Line a deep baking sheet with two parchment papers, cover the sides too. 

3. Pour the dough into the baking sheet, bake in oven for about 25-30 minutes until beautifully golden and a bit brown on top. 

4. Cut into squares. Serve with self made (or store bought) jam and berries. We ate the pancake with the jam my mother made last autumn, from the berries we had picked up ourselves. 

My first "green" smoothie and toasts with dates & tahini

2010-01-23T12:47:00.005+02:00

There has been a lot of talk about superfoods and raw food. I think it's very interesting and I'm eager to try - although it's difficult to start suddenly eating only raw food. But I think I'm going to try even some of it, because it's very good for your health. This morning I spent time in the internet looking for information about all kinds of superfoods etc. and found that these so called green smoothies are very important in rawfood ans superfood eaters nutrition. So I decided to make my first green smoothie (which isn't very green, because I used blueberries and blackcurrants and they coloured the smoothie).

 I have to say that it really surprised me, I though that smoothie which includes salad and herbs tastes terrible, but this was actually so good that I could have drank the whole thing! So I'm definitely going to make these green smoothies again, maybe it could become a daily habit...

And the toasts I had to post beause I think it's a very delicious combination (it might sound funny). I really love it and with the smoothie these toasts make a lovely breakfast, light lunch or a little meal in the evening...It's all vegan, full of important vitamins and vegetable fats and everything else. After drinking it I feel very energetic and vibrant.

 
A nice thing about these smoothies is that you can combine all kinds of ingredients : different greens (herbs, salads), fruits and berries. Anything you want, just follow your taste!

Ingredients for the smoothie:

3 dl frozen blackberries

1 dl frozen blackcurrants

2 large handfus of fresh parsley

2 handfuls rucola

1 kiwi fruit

1 ripe banana

water

1. Put the all ingredients into a blender, chop the bananas and kiwi to smaller pieces and add enough water to make the mixture fluid. 

2. Pout into glasses and decorate with fresh parsley. 

Ingredients for one date & tahini toast:

1 wholewheat toast (I used Finnish Linkosuo Tuhatjyvä with omega-3 and omega-6)

tahini paste (I used urtekram)

3 dates, sliced into halves

1. Put the toast in a toaster, spread tahini over and then put about three sliced dates on top. Enjoy! (It's so lovely...)

Healthy linseed & pumkin seed bread rolls

2010-01-17T18:50:00.012+02:00

I love self made bread. It tastes so different than the bread bought from a grocery store - I love the texture, I love the softness and the pure taste of it. And you can be sure that it's healthy without any additives and made from all the lovely ingredients. I love to mix different kind of flours and to add seeds. To these bread rolls ( in Finnish "sämpylät") I added linseed. It's very good for you stomach and has a lot of healthy vegetable fats. And as you can see from the ingredients I used only fibre rich flour. The soyflour I used is a very nice thing for the texture, it makes the dough softer and as you know soy lowers cholesterol and is fibre rich - these buns really are superfood!

And don't forget they taste magnificent! My mother said they melt in your mouth. These are good with margarine, bean paste (or hummus), tahini or anything you like. And these are very easy to make, so why won't you start baking immediately?

Ingredients:

makes about 15 

0,5 l water

25 g fresh yeast

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp honey

3 dl oatmeal

2 dl barley flour

3 dl soyflour

about 5 dl wholewheat flour

0,5 dl linseeds

1 dl olive oil

some more flour to help in baking

pumpkin seeds for decoration

Soyflour.

Linseeds.

1. Warm the water in a big bowl to your body temperature, add the yeast and let it melt. Mix well. Add the salt and honey, mix well. 

2. Add oatmeal, barley flour, soyflour, wholewheat flour, linseeds and finally olive oil beating the dough in the bowl all the time. Add some more flour if necessary. Let the dough rise covered with a kitchen towel in a warm place for an hour. 

3. Spread some flour over a table. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Deal the dough in two, knead well and deal the halfs into about six pieces. Knead the little pieces into balls with an even surface, put on a baking sheet. Let the bread rolls rise in a warm place covered with a kitchen towel for about 30 minutes. 

4. Heat the oven into 225°C. Before putting into the oven, butter the rolls with water and put some pumpkin seeds on top. 

5. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, until golden brown. 

Lebanese spinach and potato pies

2010-01-09T17:46:00.011+02:00

My mom bought me a wonderful Lebanese cookbook A Taste of Lebanon - Cooking today the Lebanese way. I certainly love it - all the best recipes you could imagine, and so much more. Pita bread, hommous, tabouli, baklava, burghul...Ahhh, so lovely. Today I decided to try these pretty pies with two different fillings, spinach and potato. It was quite easy and fun to do these (the only problem was that when you folded the pies it was hard to keep them closed). This recipe makes about thirteen quite big pies, but it makes more if you want the pies to be smaller. It's up to you. And I added to the pie dough some whole wheat flour to make it healthier - it worked perfectly.

 I'm really looking forward to try the other Lebanese recipes from the cookbook. Our family enjoyed these with peppermint tea in the candlelight - it was excellent. These pies really taste like Lebanon - with the lovely, fresh flavours and spices. They can be very proud in Lebanon for creating so delectable treats like these pies. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I did. 
Ingredients for the Savory Pie Dough - Ajeen Fatayer:
cups warm water
tbsp sugar
yeast (50g) 
1/4 cup olive oil
tsp salt
egg
cups whole wheat flour
cups wheat flour

Place water and sugar in a big bowl. Add yeast, stirring gently. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Add oil salt and egg. Fold in flour gradually. Knead until all flour leaves the edges of the bowl and dough is smooth. If necessary, add some more flour to make the dough adequate. 

Cover with plastic sheet, then kitchen towel, let rest in a warm place for 30-40 minutes. 

Ingredients for the Spinach Pies - Fatayer bi Sabanikh:
280g spinach
onion, chopped  into tiny chunks
dl lemon juice
dl olive oil
dl sesame seeds
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp pepper

Wash and drain spinach well. Chop small an place in large bowl. Add onions, lemon juice, oil, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Toss well, set aside. 


Ingredients for Potato Pies - Fatayer bi Batata:
potatoes (grated)
onion, chopped into tiny chunks
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Rinse shredded potatoes in cold water and squeeze out excess water. Place in large bowl. Add onions, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Mix well. 


How to make the Potato and Spinach pies:
Divide the well risen dough into 2 sections. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a small plate. 
Place a heaping tablespoon of the potato or spinach mixture in to the centre of the round. 

Fold three sides of the dough over the filling to form a triangle. Make one at a time because the fillings, (and the spinach even more) will have a lot of juice. If necessary, squeeze out some of the juice before placing in the dough. 
Secure triangle by pressing on the edges of the dough as you fold (must be sealed well around the edges). A tiny opening may be left in the centre. Of dough does not stick well in some places, put flour on fingertips to help seal.

Place the pies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes in 200°C oven until golden brown. Remove from the oven, brush with paprika spiced olive oil. Serve hot or cold, enjoy!

Tarte aux amandes et au citron - Almond and lemon tart

2010-01-06T17:40:00.010+02:00

We had a lot of guests at our house during the holidays, and this tart I decided to bake for the New Year's Day. I doubled the recipe because we had about fifteen people visiting. This is a classic French recipe, and I've always wanted to try it. Actually I added something to it, the turkish yogurt frosting. Somehow I'm in love with the turkish yogurt, I think it crowns the recipe and makes it perfect. And it worked very well, it gave a nice softness to this tart and made it look more beautiful. This tart was very refreshing, and perfect for those who love lemon. And for those who really don't love lemon it goes perfectly too. It's very good.

Ingredients for two tarts (one big, the other one a bit smaller)

For the crust:

400g wheat flour

200g soft butter

1 tsp cinnamon

a pinch of salt

For the filling:

5 lemons (you can add less if you don't like the strong lemon flavour)

160g soft butter

300g pulverized almonds

300g fine white sugar

8 eggs, separated

For the frosting:

grated zest of one lemon

5 dl turkish yogurt

juice of one lemon and the pulp also

5 dl powdered sugar

For the decoration carved zest of lemon

1. Pluck the ingredients of the dough with hands into big crumbs (in a bowl). Add about 3-6 tablespoons water, and  knead until the dough froms a ball, which doesn't stick or crumble. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile heat the oven to 200°C. Grate the zests of the lemons for the filling (without the white part) and then squeeze the juice of the lemons. Melt the butter in the microwave. 

2. Mix together in a big bowl pulverized almonds, sugar, grated zest of lemon, lemonjuice and butter. Add the egg yolks and beat briskly. 

3. Beat the egg whites into a foam, add to the lemonmixture. 

4. Take the dough away from the fridge, knead it and warm it with your hands, deal it to two. Line the buttered and floured baking moulds with the dough, press the dough so that it becomes an even surface. Stick the dough with a fork. 

5. Pour the filling into the mould and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until beautifully golden. Try with a fork or a knife, if the dough doesn't stick the tart is ready. 

6. Let the tart cool down. Prepare the frosting meanwhile. 

7. Put the turkish yogurt into a big bowl, add the grated zest of lemon and then the other ingredients. Mix until smooth. Put on top of the cooled tarts. Decorate the tarts with carved pieces of lemon zest. 

Chocolate cupcakes with turkish yogurt & chocolate frosting

2010-01-01T22:28:00.013+02:00

I made these cupcakes for the New Year's Eve, and  I have to say that they were absolutely gorgeus, very rich and so lovely chocolatey that they melted in your mouth! I used the same dough as before when I've made these, but the frosting was different, I had this idea to add some turkish yogurt to it and it really became good, it was so much better than before! And for the decorating I used both dark and white chocolate, so it looked even more prettier. This dough makes eighteen big cupcakes, and the frosting is enough just for them.

And this is my darling cat Diana, who admired the cupcakes for a long time. 

Ingredients:

For the dough:

250g dark chocolate (50-60% cocoa)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup soy milk

1/2 cup water

2 cups packed light brown sugar (muscovado)

1cup vegetable (olive) oil

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

100g butter, melted

4-5 dl powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g dark chocolate (50-60% cocoa)

about 4 dl turkish yogurt

For the decorating about 100g white and 100g dark chocolate

To make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F (180°C). Paper-line 18 big muffin cups.

2. Melt the chocolate in a metal dish attached to a pot with boiling water. Stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

3. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Combine soymilk and water in small glass measure. Beat brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl on high for 2 minutes. Beat in melted chocolate. Beat flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with soymilk mixture.

4. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

5. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

6. Frost with turkish yogurt & chocolate frosting.

For the turkish yogurt & chocolate frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate the same way as before, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature.

2. Melt the butter in microwave, until it's liquid like. Mix the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, add the melted chocolate and butter, then add to the turkish yogurt, mix until smooth.

3. Put spoonfuls with a big spoons on top of the cupcakes, decorate with grated white and dark chocolate.

Apple, Cinnamon & White chocolate cheesecake

2009-12-28T15:45:00.011+02:00

I've been having a little Christmas break in blogging, and it's actually more than a week from the last time I posted something. I haven't had time to cook anything else than Christmas food, and it feels it's about a time to start doing something else. Yesterday I visited my dear friend in Nummela, and I had promised to bake a cheesecake and to bring it with me. I wanted to try something new, and I got an inspiration when I thought about the apple & cinnamon cookies one of my friends had gave me as a Christmas present. Then straight away I decided to make a cheesecake with the apple & cinnamon theme, I added some white chocolate to the filling to give extra delicious flavour. And there were also apple sauce and cinnamon in the filling, of course. I must say this cake was very excellent, delicate and unique, it was perfect. When my friends ate it they were speechless, and one of my friends said that he will order this cake to his wedding! So I was very pleased, because I wasn't sure at all if this cake would be good. I think I'll make it again, quite soon. Because it was so perfect.

Ingredients:

150g Bergen apple & cinnamon cookies

100g cinnamon Bastogne cookies (about ten pieces)

(if you can't find those cookies, use somekind of cinnamon cookies or digestive cookies)

100g butter or margarine

For the filling:

600g philadelphia cream cheese

200g creme fraiche (not low-fat)

3 eggs

200g white chocolate

juice of one lemon

grated zest of one lemon

2 dl powdered sugar

125g applesauce (you can buy it, but try t use one without any added sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon (you can put two, if you like it)

1. Heat the oven into 170°C. Crush the cookies well, melt the butter and mix with the cookie crumbs. 

2. Line the base of the springform pan with a parchment paper, butter the sides of the pan. Spread the cookie crumbs on the base. 

3. Melt the white chocolate. 

4. Beat the chocolate (when it has cooled down a bit) with the creamcheese and the creme fraiche until smooth. Add vanilla extract, cinnamon, grated zest of lemon, juice of lemon, apple sauce, powdered sugar and the eggs. Mix carefully until smooth.

5. Spread over the cookie crumbs, even up. 

6. Bake in the oven for 1,5 hours, take the heat off and let the cake stand in the oven for couple of hours. Then remove, cool down in the room temperature and keep in the fridge over night. 

7. If you want to, you can decorate the cake with some cinnamon sprinkled over. Enjoy in a good company!

Date cupcakes for Christmas

2009-12-20T10:09:00.007+02:00

I wanted to bake cupcakes suitable for Christmas, the only problem was to find a good recipe, and a recipe that seemed to be interesting. When I couldn't find one, I decided to make it myself. I love dates and we had a lot of them in the kitchen cupboard, that's why I finally made these lovely, lovely and addicting date cupcakes with créme fraîche glazing. The outcome was excellent. For the cupcake dough I used an ancient datecake recipe, a bit modified. The glaze I made up myself, and I'm quite proud of the whole combination, it was so wonderful. You know I've always thought that only chocolate can "take you to heaven", but these date cupcakes verify the fact that date can do that as well. I wish you enjoyable moments with these cupcakes (like I very much had) and be careful, you might get addicted!

Ingredients:

makes about 25

For the cupcake dough:

400g dates (remove the seeds or use seedless)

240 ml water

240 ml white sugar (you could add less, because the dates are so sweet)

240 ml white flour

2 eggs

200g salted butter

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:

200g créme fraîche

1 dl dates, chopped into very tiny chunks

5 dl powdered sugar

1/2 dl milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

25g melted butter

For the decoration:

25 sliced seedless dates

To make the dough:

1. Chop the dates with scissors into very tiny chunks (the smaller the chunks are the better the dough will become). Put the chopped dates into a big kettle with water and sugar. Boil the mixture to soften the dates, about 5-10 minutes. Take away from the heat.

2. Cool down the mixture a bit, add the butter and then the eggs (first break them in a cup). Be careful not to add the eggs into a too hot mixture, because the egg whites might congeal). Mix well.

3. Mix the dry ingredients with each other and add them into the date mixture, mix well.

4. Deal the dough into about 25 cups (it depends on the size of the cup, I had quite small cups). Leave some space for them for the rising, fill about 3/4 of the cups.

5. Bake in the 200°C oven for 10-15 minutes, or until ready. Cool down before adding the glaze on top.

To make the glaze:

1. Mix the créme fraîche, tiny date chunks, milk, lemon juice, melted butter and powdered sugar together in a bowl, mix well to create a smooth glaze. With spoon, put about two spoonfuls on top of the cupcakes.

2. Then decorate with sliced dates. Enjoy! And remember to store them in the fridge.

Hazelnut toffees

2009-12-12T20:30:00.007+02:00

These pretty little hazelnut toffees are one of the all time favourites, and perfect Christmas presents. They are very easy to make and I really enjoy pouring the toffee mixture into those small coloured metal cups. These toffees remind me of my childhood, and how toffee was a special treat then. It's nice to make these at Christmas time and memorize the good old days.

Ingredients:

makes about 40 toffees

2 1/2 dl white sugar

2 dl cream

1 1/2 dl milled hazelnuts (you could use almond too)

25g butter

1. Pour th sugar into a big kettle and let it get a nice light brown colour. Be careful not to fry it too long. Add the cream and let the caramel bubble up. Cook until the caramel thickens and it simmers with big bubbles. The caramel's temperature should be 120°C so that it will harden properly.

2. Add the butter and the milled nuts, mix well. Pour into small aluminium cups, put in the fridge overnight. Store in the fridge.

Cookie dough truffles

2009-12-12T20:19:00.015+02:00

I found these tempting cookie dough truffles in the How sweet it is blog. I had to make them, they looked so irresistible. And if someone's wondering why on earth do I suddenly cook so many sweets, the answer is that all of these are going to be christmas presents. These cookie truffles are easy to make, and they really are what americans call yummy. It's a pity that these are going to be presents, I'd like to eat them myself.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 can sweetened, condensed milk

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

To coat:

400g milk chocolate (I used Fazer's blue)

1. In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and add milk. Add chocolate morsels, mixing well. Put in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, it helps you to roll the balls later.

2. Shape into little balls. Since the dough is sticky, roll your fingers into flour. This will make it easier to roll. Place on perchment paper; chill 2 hours.

3. Melt chocolate chips or disks in a double boiler.

4. Using 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Place on waxed paper and chill to set. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.