Carrot cake with white chocolate glaze

Sunday was birthday celebration time and that means baking because I just can't do store-bought for the ones I love. Of course it was frosted chocolate as my guys are true chocoholics. We still needed something for the not-so chocolate lovers and so we went for a super moist, lightly carroty cake, because I can't abide raisins and walnuts in carrot cake. It was totally the girls favorite...

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups patent flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
400 grams grated carrots

1 1/2 fine white sugar

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

100 grams white chocolate, in pieces

3 tablespoons butter

splash of heavy cream

powdered sugar

roasted almonds pieces

Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter and flour pan with powdered sugar. Combine flour, baking powder, carrots, sugar, eggs, oil ( I used soy), vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a mixer and pulse until incorporated. Pour into pan bake for an hour or until risen and firm to the touch. While cooling, make the glaze. Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave. Add powdered sugar to taste and enough cream until thick but pourable. Skewer the top and sides of the cake and our pour over the glaze while still warm. Sprinkle over the almonds. Cut, drizzle slices with remaining glaze and serve.

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Roasted pineapple pound cake

Summer is here! In May! With a vengeance! And that makes me want to bake, go figure.. 

Nothing heavy or difficult, because God's knows it's too hot in Holland to be standing endlessly in the kitchen. This super moist cake, with a hint of summer, is perfect for the BBQ weather we are having. Long live warm, sunny and tropical!

Ingredients

1 can pineapple chunks

1 tablespoon vanilla powder

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

100 ml milk

splash of white rum

coconut flakes

powder sugar

Roast the pineapple in the juices with the vanilla powder until reduced. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Butter a bundt pan and dust with powder sugar. Separate the syrup from the pineapple. Puree the pineapple. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla paste. In batches add the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the milk, one tablespoon of rum and gently fold in the pineapple puree. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until firm. 

Add a teaspoon of the syrup at a time, with one additional teaspoon of rum, to the powder sugar until thick but pourable. Prick the cake while still warm and pour over the remaining pineapple syrup. Once absorbed drizzle over the glaze and top with coconut flakes. Be generous as the sticky, gooey glaze is the best part. That and lying in the sun with a drink and said slice of cake..

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New Year's tiramisu panettone bake

I had planned on prepping this dish the night before like I did last year but I ended up too lazy..Oh well, it's easy and took little effort to make after a pre-lunch walk. I say lunch, because the laziness continued the next day as well. Luckily because of the liquor, there is no need for soaking to get it going for a great New Year!

Recipe
1 panettone
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Tiramisu liquor
Powdered sugar

Optional
Creme anglaise
Vanilla sauce

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Cut the panettone roughly into bite-sized chunks. Butter a baking dish and add the panettone pieces. Flatten to ensure an even bake. In a bowl mix the eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Add the tiramisu liquor to taste (a generous splash or two..or three). Pour the custard over the panettone and allow to rest for a couple of minutes. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until set. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with chilled creme anglaise and vanilla sauce.

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Sticky chocolate coffee cakes

I had a rich and creamy mousse planned for dinner but my guy came back from grocery shopping with a can of pre-whipped cream. The shock and horror. Being too lazy meant a scrambled dash through the kitchen cupboards for a replacement dessert. 

I decided to take the idea of mousse and make it firmer. With a good hint of coffee for a bit of adult fun. Still super chocolaty but without any dairy. I paired it with cherries baked in rum, balsamic, cinnamon and black pepper and honeyed ricotta to balance the richness.

Molten chocolate coffee cake

200 grams pure chocolate

3 tablespoon cacao

150 grams butter

3 tablespoons ground coffee

3 eggs

3 yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons self-rising flour

Preheat the oven to 200 celsius. Butter and flour (cocoa or icing sugar) 8 ramekins. Melt the chocolate, cacao and butter and mix in the coffee, while mixture is warm, till dissolved. Allow to cool slightly. Beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla in a mixer. Temper the egg mixture with and the chocolate and slowly add the rest while mixing on low speed. Gently pulse in the flour. Pour into prepared ramekins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until  lightly firm. Let cool but these are best served warmed. Flip onto a plate and serve with cherries, cream and drizzled in syrup. These babies taste just as good with a 15 second reheat in the microwave which is perfect for less dinner party stress.

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Chocolate brandy buttermilk cups

My guys are big on chocolate and so birthday desserts need to be oh-so chocolaty. I was leaning towards a mousse but decided to go with a bit more bite. This is dense, full-on, chocolate flavour. Omitting the brandy, still doesn't make it a kids treat. The buttermilk and brandy round of the intense flavour of the chocolate. I dare you to eat two servings...

Recipe

• 1 cup (soy) heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 140 grams 85% cacao dark chocolate
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• brandy, to taste
• powder sugar

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Warm cream and buttermilk over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate. Whisk brown sugar, yolks and brandy (I added about two tablespoons). Temper the egg mixture with a bit of the warm chocolate mix and continue stiring while adding. 

Divide among individual baking dishes and place in a large baking pan. Fill pan with hot water, about a third to half way up the dishes. Grate any remaining chocolate in a thin layer over the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and then sprinkle with powder sugar before refrigerating till chilled.. If you can wait that long, as they are pretty darn tasty warm. The grated chocolate and powder sugar add a nice crunch, similar to a creme brulee.

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Spiced coconut tarts

Recently I was discussing the foods I miss from my youth and a coconut tart my dad made sprung to mind. I remember him grating fresh coconuts by hand. On one of those old-fashioned steel plates that were painful just to look at. They were made with a sweet, bread-like dough and the filling was basically just grated coconut, sweetened and fragrant. Warm and fresh and yummy to eat. I figured why not try and recreate it? But with a little twist of my own, by way of spices and rum. Heck, I am an island girl at heart!

Crust

2 cups flour
1/2 cup almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 butter
1 egg
¼ cup milk

Filling

3 cups grated coconut
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 teaspoons allspice
pinch of salt
2 tablespoon dark rum

Preheat oven to 175 Celsius. Make the filling. Bring coconut, sugar, water, vanilla, nutmeg, allspice, salt and cinnamon to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer on low heat till mixture thickens and reduces. Add the rum. Let cool.

Combine flour, meal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixer. Cut the chilled butter into knobs and add to the dry ingredients in pulses. Add the egg and milk and and mix until a sticky dough forms. Knead the dough and divide into individual portions about the size of a golf ball. Roll out the balls and add a spoonful of filling. Fold shut and seal the sides with a fork. Brush with beaten egg or milk and sprinkle with grated coconut and sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks. Serve warm.

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Triple chocolate almond granola bars

Okay, so I've started curbing the bad eating habits that started to creep back in. It's an uphill battle because I loathe breakfast and desperately want something sinful at the end of the day. So I figured my first post summer treat should start somewhere in between.

I went for bars instead of cereal because sometimes (when I painfully slow) I kind of have to eat in the car and a bowl of milk is a definite no-no. This I can nibble and get on with it. Pretty much what I need on a Monday!

2 cups oats
1 cup almonds
1/3 cup dark (78%) chocolate
1/3 cup white chocolate
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup nutella
1 cup maple syrup

I roasted the almonds in a pan with some leftover vanilla caramel. Let cool and blitz into pieces. Blitz the chocolate. Mix together the dry ingredients (oats, almonds, chocolate, cinnamon and salt). Blend the peanut butter, nutella and maple syrup. Pour over the oats and toss to coat. Pack tightly into prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes in a moderate oven (180 Celsius) so the chocolate bits can melt throughout. Allow to cool.  I store them in the fridge because of the chocolate. I eat them as it or crumble with milk when I can have breakfast while not in motion..

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Rum-moist pineapple cake with frozen mascarpone cream

My eating habits are the worst. Infrequent, skipping and then loading up. Plus the never-ending sugar addiction. Eating better has been on my list for like ever. And to be honest not anywhere near there yet. Baby steps. In this cake a curbed-back dessert that didn't need a whole pack of refined sugar. You could even swap out the brown sugar for honey or coconut syrup. Skip the cream (had a tub in the fridge..) and it's closer to guilt-free but still super tasty.

Moist pineapple cake
500 grams pineapple
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
3 tablespoons dark rum
250 grams almond flour
100 grams oatmeal
50 brown sugar
1 packet yeast
pinch of salt
2 eggs
3 tablespoons coconut oil
Coconut flakes

Mascarpone cream
500 grams mascarpone
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pineapple juice

Toss the pineapple in the tablespoon of brown sugar, vanilla and rum. Let sit till ready, mine sat for two days in the fridge for maximum effect. Mix the mascarpone, vanilla and a spoonful at a time of the pineapple juice till smooth. Pour into a freezer-proof container and freeze until set.

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Grease a container with coconut oil and sprinkle the bottom with coconut flakes if desired. Blitz the oatmeal in a food processor. Add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast and mix to incorporate. Add the eggs and melted coconut oil.

Drain the pineapple. Blitz in a food processor till pureed as I don't like chunks of fruit in my cake. Mix the puree into the batter. Pour the batter into the greased container. Bake until browned and fragrant, about 40-45 minutes.

Serve with a scoop of the softened cream.. if it's cheat day!

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Breakfast bar

Balance. I'm forever searching for the perfect balance. Whether it's between aesthetically pleasing or highly functioning. Sugar rush yummy or tummy helping healthy. This spot combines both those quests. Using precious, and by that I mean sparse, kitchen countertop purely for display or storing more unsightly packages of food? Eating something fun and easy in the mornings or a power-packed fiber king?

I opted for a bit of both. The kitchen cupboard real estate is still a display spot. Except now it holds our breakfast goods. We now know how much coffee is left instead of having a half a bag stuck in hiding in a different cupboard each week. My new favourite spread because I'll always be a sucker for coconut. Most important though, are the giant amounts for cereal. Nut packed for my guy and homemade cherry for me.

Ah, I feel settled and zen, already. Have a great week.

Cherry nutty granola

500 grams 4-grain flakes 

500 whole wheat flakes

125 grams brown almonds

125 grams bitter almonds

125 hazelnut pieces

400 grams unsweetened dried cherries

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

75 grams coconut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla paste

100 grams maple syrup

heat oven to 180 celsius. Mixed all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil and add the vanilla paste and maple syrup to mix. Coat the grain, nut and cherry mixture and toss to coat. Bake in a single sheet on moderate heat for about ten minutes. let coo and break into bite-sized clusters.

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"Ik zou wel een kindje lusten" sour cream chocolate cake

Mika loves, loves a book titled “I really want to eat a child”. I mean this book is requested pretty much every night and every night we shout out the last pages in threesome and then he giggles and goes to sleep a happy camper. 

Another part of this routine revolves around him reminding me that I still have to make the cake for him. A promise a promise and so I finally made the cake. It’s a fairly straightforwared chocolate cake with ditto frosting and glaze. The frosting on the top is white chocolate coloured yellow, which is so much more fun as kids get to decide how yellow. We had a ball making this together and that is almost more fun than the eating..almost.

Sour cream chocolate cake
2 cups fine white sugar
2 cups patent flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 baking powder
1 1/2 vanilla paste
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
125 grams sour cream
3/4 hot water

Chocolate frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 tablespoons cacao powder
1 cup powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
milk

White chocolate glaze
200 grams white chocolate
milk
natural food colouring 

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Parchment paper, grease and flour desired pans. I used the smallest ones I have for two smaller, higher cakes. Sift sugar, flour, cacao, baking powder, soda and salt in a food processor and whizz to incorporate. Add in the wet ingredients, vanilla, eggs, milk and hot water. Divide between the pans. Bake for 35 tot 40 minutes or until risen and cakes begin to pull away for the sides. Because of the sour cream, the cakes remain smudgy and dense like brownies.

Beat the butter, cacao, sugar and vanilla till thick in a food processor. Add tablespoons of milk while on low speed, till thick and fluffy. Melt chocolate au-bain-marie and add drops of colour till desired colour. Thin with milk to thick but pourable consistency. When cooled frost the cakes and pour glaze over the top. Top with candied cherries. Serves 16.

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Valentines eats; hearts, strawberries & blueberries

Food inspiration comes from the strangest of places. This week it was a bedtime reading of Red Riding Hood. who was bringing a basket with homemade elderberry jam to grandma. We switched out the elderberry for something we like, sorry grandma.

We went for strawberry and vanilla...and blueberry and mint. Why, layer up? Because we can, that's why. And what's more fun than not knowing if your getting pink, purple or both!


Jam
225 grams of frozen strawberries
225 grams of frozen blueberries
450 grams of fine white sugar
6 tablespoons apple juice
1 vanilla pod
3 sprigs mint
brioche buns
clotted cream

Add the frozen strawberries, half the sugar and apple juice to a heavy pot. Add the split vanilla. Add the frozen blueberries, mint and remaining sugar and apple juice to a second pot. Simmer on a low till thickened. Let cool, scrape out the vanilla beans and add to strawberry mixture. Remove the mint. Pulse separately in a food processor till desired smoothness. Return to low heat and simmer until further reduced.

Brush the buns with melted butter on all sides and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake on moderate for five minutes or until browned. Serve the jam and buns with clotted cream.

P.S. I saw the heart shaped mini buns and couldn't resist working in a bit of rehearsal for Valentines day..

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