Apple yogurt muffins

So I did what I told you I’d do: I’ve started baking more bread. And it feels great. But the absent minded here forgot to buy more yeast and used the last teaspoon in the sachet to make our Saturday night pizza. :(

Luckily I had some baking powder around – and a very lonely apple in the fridge. :)

Apple yogurt muffins
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Muffins

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
½ cup (100g) sugar*
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 ¼ cups (325g) plain yogurt
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Gala apples, peeled, cored and diced

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and make a well in the center. In a small bowl or jug, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the apples and mix with a fork until just moistened – do not overmix; the batter is supposed to be lumpy.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans filling each cup ¾ full.
Bake until golden, 16-20 minutes, and cooked when tested with a skewer.

* these muffins are not too sweet, and in my opinion that makes them perfect for breakfast – add a bit more sugar if desired

Makes 12 - I halved the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity muffin pans and got 6

Apple pecan coffee cake with cinnamon sugar topping

I’ve come to a conclusion: one can’t bake too many apple cakes – especially now that they’re in season here in Brazil and the prices are really good. :)

Don’t be scared by the three different steps in this recipe: they’re all simple and I’m sure you’ll love the result – the crunchy pecans go beautifully well with the soft apple bits. Yum!

Apple pecan coffee cake with cinnamon sugar topping
slightly adapted from The All-American Dessert Book

Pecans:
1 cup (110g) pecans, coarsely chopped
2 ½ tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, slightly softened

Cake:
3 ½ cups peeled, cored and diced (1/3in) flavorful apples – I used Gala
1/3 cup (58g) packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups (420g) all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
generous ½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (174g) plain yogurt
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 22x32cm (9x13in) baking pan*.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In a medium bowl, stir together the pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup and butter until the pecans are coated. Spread the pecan mixture on the foil liked sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, for 9 to 14 minutes or until nicely browned. Let cool completely then chop into ¼ in bits – the pecans will keep, stored airtight, at room temperature for several days.
In a large bowl thoroughly stir together the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar until lightened and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. On low speed, beat in half the dry ingredients just until thoroughly incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the yogurt and vanilla, beating just until evenly incorporated. Beating on low, add the remaining dry ingredients, then beat in medium speed until evenly blended – batter will be stiff.
Spoon half the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly to the edges with a buttered palette knife, the layer will be thin. Using a slotted spoon and shaking off any excess juice, distribute the apple mixture over the batter. Sprinkle with the pecans then spoon the remaining batter over the apples and pecans, spreading it to the edges – the batter will seem skimpy. Mix the topping ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over the cake.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top is well browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely – I dusted the cake with a little icing sugar to make it look nicer. :)

The cake will keep, stored airtight in a cool place, for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for 2-3 days or longer – let it come to room temperature before serving.

* I halved the recipe above and used a 20cm (8in) round cake pan, with a removable bottom; I lined the bottom of the pan with baking paper and buttered the paper as well to make unmolding easier

Serves 12

Sour lime cake

A lovely Brazilian blogger friend of mine has been having lots of fun in the kitchen lately, but she still doesn’t have a very close relationship with her mixer – that’s why I think these little cakes are perfect for her: they’re tender, delicious and very moist and all one needs to prepare them is a bowl and a wooden spoon. Really simple.

I got the recipe from the DH mag #44 and used limes instead of lemons, to change things up a little.

Quéroul, sweetie, hope you like these!

Sour lime cake
from Donna Hay magazine

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ cups + 2 ½ tablespoons (330g) caster sugar
2 eggs
½ cup (130g) plain yogurt
¼ cup (60ml) lime juice
finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (300g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Lime icing:
2 ¼ cups (315g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon boiling water

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Butter well two 4 cup capacity (960ml) Bundt pans.
Place the butter, sugar, eggs, yogurt, lime juice and zest in a bowl and whisk to combine. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture and whisk until smooth.
Spoon into prepared pans and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes then carefully unmold onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
Make the icing: place the icing sugar, juice and water in a bowl and mix to combine. Spoon over cakes to serve.

Serves 8-10 – I halved the recipe above and used four 1-cup (240ml) capacity mini Bundt pans

Rum and raisin muffins

I told you a while ago that my relationship with raisins had began to change – and I think there’s no turning back. Maybe that has got to do with the fact that they are drenched in booze... :)

These muffins turned out really tender and the rum flavor wasn’t overpowering; they are not too sweet, so add a bit more sugar if you feel like it.

First the cookies, now the muffins – next, ice cream. :)

Rum and raisin muffins
from The Joy of Muffins

1 cup (155g) dark raisins
½ cup (120ml) white rum
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
½ cup (100g) caster sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter, cold but not too firm, chopped
1 cup (260g) plain yogurt
1 egg
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
icing sugar, to serve

Soak the raisins in the rum overnight.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F; line 18 muffin pans with paper cases.
Drain raisins, reserving rum. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Cut in butter until coarse meal forms – I rubbed it in the dry ingredients using my fingertips. Mix in raisins.
In a small bowl or jar, whisk yogurt, egg, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of rum until smooth. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in mixture. Mix with a fork just until incorporated. Fill muffin pans ¾ full and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
Let cool and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Makes 18 – I halved the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity muffins pans and got 7 muffins

Labna (yogurt cheese)

Do you remember my homemade ricotta? That recipe is wonderful – I’ve received comments and emails from many of you who have tried it too, with great results. I have made it dozens of times already and used it in both savory and sweet dishes. I thought it was about time I tried another recipe from Donna Hay’s cheese making spread (issue 35), especially after seeing the wonderful cheeses my friend Ana Elisa has been making lately.

If you liked the ricotta, you’re gonna love the labna: it’s even easier to make – no cooking involved, no need for a thermometer – and tasted really good. I highly recommend it.

Labna (yogurt cheese)
from Donna Hay magazine

2 cups (520g) plain, full fat yogurt
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
olive oil to cover
¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
½ teaspoon black peppercorns

Place the yogurt and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Line a sieve with fine muslin and place over a deep bowl – the bottom of the sieve should not be in contact with the liquid released from the yogurt. Pour the yogurt mixture into the sieve. Cover, set aside in the refrigerator and allow to drain for 5 days, removing the liquid every once in a while.
Roll 2 teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place in an airtight jar. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Add the oregano and peppercorns and cover with oil*. Store the labna in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

* the olive oil coating may solidify in the refrigerator so allow the labna to return to room temperature before you serve it.

Serves 4

Banana and dried cranberry tea cake

I know, I know... Another banana post in less than a month – please bear with me and my full-of-bananas-freezer. :D

This recipe comes from a book a bought several months ago but only recently became addicted to – and with a whole chapter devoted to bananas, I’ll be using it again soon. :D

Banana and dried cranberry tea cake
from Baking by Flavor

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup (83g) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped if too large
8 tablespoons (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons (28g) shortening, room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas blended with ¼ cup sour cream – I used yogurt

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Butter the insides of a 22.5x12.5x7.5cm (9x5x3in) loaf pan* and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon onto a medium bowl. In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with 1 teaspoon of the sifted mixture.
Cream butter and shortening in the large bowl of an electric mixer on moderate speed for 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 2 minutes longer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even-textured.
On low speed, alternately add the sifted mixture in three additions, with the mashed bananas-sour cream blend in two additions, beginning and ending with the sifted ingredients. Stir in the cranberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, mounding it slightly in the center.

Bake the tea cake for 55 minutes or until risen, set and golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached to it. Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, unmold it onto another rack and cool completely – turn the cake so the top is upwards. Dust with icing sugar.
Let the tea cake mellow for at least 2 hour before slicing it.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

* I halved the recipe, used a 8x19x5cm loaf pan and baked the cake for 30 minutes

Makes about 12 slices

Banana cake with passion fruit icing

As some of you already know, I spent part of my vacation with my lovely and dear friend Valentina. We visited beautiful places, ate delicious food and had a wonderful time together – I miss her already! :D
I’ll soon post the photos on Flickr.

Not only is Valentina an amazing and generous friend but also a very skilled cook and baker – Trembom was the first food blog I ever read and the inspiration for me to create TK.
One of her recipes + a couple of bananas going more freckled than yours truly turned out into these divine little cakes.

Banana cake with passion fruit icing

Cake:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (125g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoon - 150g – packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (225g) self-rising flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup mashed ripe banana
½ cup (130g) plain yogurt
¼ cup (60ml) milk

Icing:
1 ¾ cups (245g) icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons passion fruit pulp, seeds included

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; butter and flour a 15x25cm loaf pan or a 20cm round cake pan.*

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg over the creamed butter and mix using a wooden spoon. Mix in the banana, yogurt and milk until combined, but do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer (time may very if using 20cm round cake pan).
Remove from the oven and cool in the pan, on a rack, for 5 minutes. Unmold, transfer cake to rack and set aside to cool completely.

Make the icing: place all the ingredients in a heatproof bowl and place it over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water. Mix continuously until the icing is thick enough to be poured over the cake. Pour it over the cake immediately, as the icing sets quickly – you can cover the cake completely with the icing or only the top.

* I halved the recipe, used ½-cup (120ml) capacity mini loaf pans and got 7 little cakes

Serves 8-10

Crunchy-top pear muffins

I have received several comments and emails regarding the better than brownie cookies I posted a while ago - the recipe worked out fine for some of you but not so much for others... I’m sorry to hear that and have updated the post with info on the chocolate I used and on cooling the chocolate + butter mixture for 5 minutes prior to adding the other ingredients - I hope it helps!

If you’ve had a hard time baking the better than brownie cookies, may I suggest these muffins? A stress-free recipe that will cheer you up. And even if you haven’t baked those cookies, make the muffins anyway – they are really good. :D

Crunchy-top pear muffins
adapted from Holiday

1 ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (185g) all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
100g rolled oats
½ cup + ½ tablespoon (94g) brown sugar, both packed
2 eggs
1 cup (240ml) plain yogurt
½ cup (120ml) vegetable (light-flavored) oil
1 pear, peeled and diced

Topping:
¼ cup (44g) brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup (50g) unblanched almonds, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; line six 240ml (1 cup) muffin pans with paper cases (or just grease well).

Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl, add the oats, brown sugar and stir together. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk together the eggs, yogurt and oil. Pour into the well in the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until just combined. Fold through the pear, being careful not to overmix. Spoon into the muffin cases.
To make the crumble topping, mix the brown sugar and almonds. Sprinkle over the muffin mixture and then bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity muffin pans and got 7 muffins

Sugared apple galette

A long time ago I posted a list of my top 5 favorite songs. I had a hard time choosing them – one huge problem was picking only one song by The Smiths. Other songs I deeply love were left out of the list but that’s OK – I knew I would regret it minutes after writing it. :D

There’s one song, though, that could not be included on that list – it’s so beautiful, perfect and magical that it belongs in the Music Olympus and should never be mixed with nor compared to with other songs. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is simply the best song ever created. Period.

The same happens with my favorite recipe websites – they are wonderful and I adore them all, but Australian Gourmet Traveller is my #1. It’s where I got this recipe from.

Sugared apple galette
slightly adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Brioche base:
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 envelope/7g) dried yeast
30g caster sugar
80ml (1/3 cup) lukewarm milk
330g plain flour
finely grated zest of 2 limes
1 egg and 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten together, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brandy
120g unsalted butter, softened

Sugar apple top:
80g Greek-style thick yogurt
60g unsalted butter, stored in the freezer for ½ hour
80g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lime
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and deseeded, very thinly sliced

For dusting:
pure icing sugar

For brioche base, combine yeast, a pinch of the caster sugar and warm milk in a bowl, stir to dissolve yeast, then set aside in a warm place until foamy (2-3 minutes). Meanwhile, combine flour, lime zest and remaining sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix to combine. With mixer on low speed, add yeast mixture, egg mixture and brandy and mix to combine. Add butter a little at a time and beat until smooth and glossy (4-5 minutes).

Transfer to a buttered bowl, turn to coat and cover with plastic wrap. Stand in a warm place until double in size (1½-2 hours).
Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 30cm-diameter circle. Line a buttered 27cm-diameter fluted tart pan* with the dough, rolling edges in and pleating as you go, and prick within border with a fork.
For sugar apple top, spread yogurt over brioche dough within border. Coarsely grate butter and scatter two thirds over yogurt. Combine sugar and lime zest in a small bowl, scatter two thirds of the sugar mixture over butter. Layer apple over sugar mixture, overlapping slices, then scatter with remaining butter and sugar mixture.
Bake until golden and cooked through (15-20 minutes), dust edges with icing sugar and serve immediately.

* I used a 24cm pan

Serves 6

Yogurt and passion fruit syrup mini cakes

Certain actors have a very special place in my heart –they are so talented that I’m always interested in watching their movies.
Christian Bale, for example - I have seen him in several different movies and he continues to make me curious about what’s coming.

It’s like baking with yogurt – the more I do it (like last month’s lime cake), the more I enjoy it.

Yogurt and passion fruit syrup mini cakes
from Donna Hay magazine

150g unsalted butter, softened
220g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup thick Greek-style natural yogurt
300g self raising flour, sifted

Passion fruit syrup:
1 cup (240ml) passion fruit syrup
½ cup (120ml) water
110g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/320ºF. To make the passion fruit syrup, place passion fruit pulp, water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes or until syrupy. Set aside.

Make the cake: place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 10-15 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add yogurt and beat until well combined.
Fold through flour. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 24cm bundt or ring pan* and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Remove cake from the pan and place on a serving plate (I left the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then unmolded them).
Spike cake all over with a thin skewer or toothpick, drizzle with syrup and serve while still warm – it tastes delicious at room temperature, too.

* I halved the recipe, used a muffin pan (each well holds 1/3 cup batter) and got 9 small cakes

Serves 8

Lime yogurt cake and the power of positive thinking

I usually think of myself as a realistic person, but also believe that good things come to those who think positively. Seating on the couch without actually doing anything will get you nowhere, but keeping a positive attitude towards life and being grateful for what you already have may help you succeed.

The Pollyanna side of me worked hard last Saturday – at least for the entire time this cake was in the oven. Even though I used a larger pan than the one called for in the recipe it still got very full. After reluctantly placing the cake in the oven all I could do was hope for the best. Using the correct pan - which I firmly believe not to be the one in the recipe - would have delivered a much prettier and fluffier cake, I’m sure. But in the end the batter did not overflow and the cake turned out very moist - due to the yogurt - and tasted good. St. Lawrence would be proud. :D

Lime yogurt cake
from here

220g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
330g caster sugar
2 eggs
250g Greek style yogurt
¼ cup (60ml) lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons lime zest
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Icing:
1 ½ cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons water
lime zest, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/320ºF. Grease a 10x20cm* loaf pan and line the bottom with baking paper.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat to incorporate. Beat in the yogurt, lime juice and zest. Sift the flour and baking powder over the batter and beat to incorporate.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.

Make the icing: place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add a few drops of water if necessary.
Turn the cake onto a serving plate, drizzle with the icing and sprinkle with the zest.

* I used a 10.5x26cm loaf pan and the batter almost overflew :(

Serves 8-10

Banana and hazelnut coffee cake

Still on a fruit vibe – a lot less healthy, I know, but I can’t go too long without baking a cake. Can’t help it. And I bet you understand. :)

Bananas go ripe and freckled pretty fast in the hot days we’ve been enjoying here and that calls for a quick solution, like the one I found at the Waitrose website – btw, there are wonderful recipes there, I think you should take a look.

The yogurt in the batter helps create a moist cake with a nice tang and you can use sour cream instead, as in the original recipe.

Get ready to drive your neighbors insane with the smell coming out of your oven. :D

Banana and hazelnut coffee cake

Topping:
90g plain flour
80g hazelnuts, finely chopped
120g light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 large ripe bananas
juice of 1 lemon
80g unsalted butter, melted

Cake:
280g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
250g plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
90g unsalted butter, melted
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Grease a 25cm square cake pan and line with baking parchment.
To make the topping, place the flour in a large bowl with the hazelnuts, sugar and salt. Pour over the melted butter, then mix with a round-bladed knife until it resembles rough crumbs. Chill until needed.
To make the cake, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat together until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined. Spoon into the pan and smooth with the back of a spoon.
Peel and slice the bananas, then toss with lemon juice in a bowl. Scatter the bananas evenly over the surface of the cake mixture, then sprinkle over the hazelnut topping.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then lift out. Serve warm or cold.
You can store it in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

Makes 16 squares

A big hug, flavored with passion fruit

Blogging has several good aspects, and a very important one is meeting great people – and it doesn’t matter if they live around the corner or across the ocean.

The lovely Barbara is one of those people and she’s going through a hard time right now, battling cancer once again. :(

The equally lovely Bron and Ilva organized a virtual hug for Barbara and I’m glad to be a part of it. I hope she likes this fresh and simple dessert, full of fruity flavors.

Barbara, my dear, be sure that there are Brazilian fingers here crossed for you. I know you’ll kick cancer in the ass again.
You might be half a planet away, but are certainly close to my heart.

Passion fruit jellies with banana and honey yogurt
slightly adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

350ml passion fruit juice*
175ml freshly squeezed orange juice
200g sugar
6 gelatin leaves, softened in cold water
200g yogurt
30g honey
thickly sliced banana, to serve
passion fruit pulp, to serve

Combine juices, sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then pass through a fine sieve. Warm ½ cup juice mixture in a saucepan over medium heat, squeeze excess water from gelatin, add to pan and stir until gelatin dissolves, then add remaining juice mixture. Cool slightly and pour into six 1 cup-capacity glasses and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.
To serve, whisk together yoghurt and honey. Top jellies with a spoonful of yogurt, cover with banana slices and spoon over passion fruit pulp.

Note: to make passion fruit juice, blend passion fruit pulp in a food processor to crack seeds, then strain through a fine sieve. Twelve passion fruit yield about 1 cup of juice.

* I used concentrated bottled juice

Serves 6

Spiced yogurt mini cakes and a box of gifts

I got a box full of gifts!!

These were the prizes I won with my sake panna cotta at the event hosted by my lovely friend Clarice. She sent all these amazing things all the way from Japan. Thank you, dear!

I had Clarice in mind while making these mini cakes – they are delicate and pretty, just like her. She loves all things cornmeal, but the wonderful cinnamon she sent was such an inspiration and I felt like baking with that flavor.

Clarice, my friend, I wish I could personally serve you these cakes, on a beautifully set table; since I can’t, I virtually offer them to you, with love!

Spiced yogurt mini cakes
from a Brazilian cookbook

1/3 cup skinned almonds, coarsely chopped
225g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
180g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
90g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g plain yogurt

Icing:
1 cup (140g) icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, slightly toasted

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF; generously butter a 12-cup muffin pan.

In a bowl, place the chopped almonds, 4 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, the cinnamon and nutmeg.
In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and remaining granulated sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Fold in 1/3 of the sifted ingredients and half the yogurt. Proceed with the remaining dry ingredients and yogurt in 2 additions.

Place a heaped tablespoon of batter in the bottom of each muffin cup. Generously sprinkle with the almond and spice mixture. Cover with cake batter (don’t fill the pan too much or it might overflow while in the oven)
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before unmolding.

Make the icing: mix sugar and milk together until smooth and runny – add more milk if necessary. Pour the icing over the cooled cakes and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.

Makes 12

Cheese salad with hummus dressing and pitta crisps

Joao won’t eat queijo coalho (I know, he’s silly), so after making these there was still half a package of cheese in my fridge. With all the sweets and baked goods around the house, I felt like eating something light and fresh, like a salad. Let’s avoid food waste and waistline expansion!! :)

I slightly adapted this recipe, just adding a bit more flavor to the dressing and omitting the onions. It’s a very easy, simple dish and insanely quick to put together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Cheese salad with hummus dressing and pitta crisps

2 whole meal pitta breads
2 tomatoes, cut into chunks – I used cherry tomatoes
½ cucumber, cut into chunks
extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime, divided
250g queijo coalho or halloumi, cut into chunks
dried oregano
2 tablespoons hummus (store-bought or homemade; recipe here)
75ml natural yogurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
To make the pitta crisps, separate the pittas into 2 halves, cut into triangles and bake for 5-10 minutes until crisp. Set aside.

For the salad: toss the tomatoes and cucumber with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the half the lime juice. Sprinkle the cheese with a little oregano then grill or fry until golden. Mix the hummus and yogurt in a small bowl, add a little of the remaining lime juice + a little olive oil (to taste), mix well and season with salt and pepper to make a dressing.
Toss the cheese with the salad, drizzle over the hummus dressing and serve with the pitta crisps.

Serves 2

Cinnamon French toast

I love breakfast food. In a perfect world, people should be able to eat pancakes, waffles, muffins and bread all through the day. :)

This was the first time I tried french toast, though. We do eat something really similar here in Brazil, called rabanada, but it’s usually prepared around Christmas time and it’s not a daily breakfast meal for us. It’s equally delicious: the bread is soaked in a mix of milk and sweetened condensed milk, fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

I had drained some yogurt and was looking for something good to use it with - Pea’s “refund” muffins crossed my mind, but the amount of yogurt was not enough. The answer was on this book.

I used plain sandwich bread (which was the only kind around the house that day) and it worked fine, even though they were not very thick. I just had to be careful when frying and flipping them over.

Cinnamon French toast
from Kitchen: The Best of the Best

4 thick slices white bread, crusts removed
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar – I used vanilla scented sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (120ml) milk
butter, for frying
extra sugar, for sprinkling
175g plain yogurt, to serve
fresh seasonal fruit, to serve
100ml maple syrup, to serve – I used honey
toasted pecans, to serve

Cut each slice of bread in half to make rectangles. Beat the egg, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, then add the milk and combine well. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan – I used non-stick - over medium heat. Dip the bread into the milk mixture, covering both sides. Sprinkle one side of each piece of bread with sugar and gently fry, sugar-side down, for 3 minutes, or until the undersides are golden. Sprinkle the tops with a little sugar and flip over. Cook until golden. Serve with yogurt, fresh fruit, maple syrup/honey and sprinkle of pecans.

Serves 4