Double limoncello poppy seed cookies + homemade limoncello

Trying to solve the boozy cookbook problem I thought that it would be nice having a bottle of limoncello at home – it seemed to be the perfect alcoholic acquisition for a person like me. Unfortunately that idea was discarded the minute I saw how much a bottle of limoncello cost. :S
Luckily for me, there was a recipe for homemade limoncello in Francine Segan’s beautiful book and it was super easy to make: the only tricky part was having to wait 4 weeks to taste the liqueur – which turned out to be quite strong and very lemony, indeed – and to make these delicious cookies as well.

Double limoncello poppy seed cookies
from the adorable The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets

Cookies:
½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
2 teaspoons limoncello
1 1/3 cups (185g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Glaze:
1 cup (140g) icing sugar
2 tablespoons limoncello
hot water, if necessary

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Cookies: beat butter and sugar together until creamy and light. Add the egg, zest and limoncello and beat until combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix in low speed just until combined. Mix in the poppy seeds.
Form 1 ½ heaping teaspoons of dough into balls and place onto prepared sheets 5cm (2in) apart. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze: sift the icing sugar into a small bowl. Gradually add the limoncello, stirring until desired consistency (add the water only if necessary). Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies and set aside until set, about 15 minutes.

Makes about 40

Homemade limoncello
from the lovely Dolci: Italy's Sweets

6 lemons
2 cups (480ml) vodka
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 cups (720ml) water

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the yellow zest from the lemons in long strips. Put the peels and vodka in a 1.4 to 2 liter sealable glass container and set aside in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks.
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan and stir in the sugar. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Pour the sugar syrup into the container with the zest and vodka. Seal and store for another 2 weeks in a cool place. Pour through a fine sieve and discard the peels (I did not do that - I kept the peels in the bottle).
Keep in the freezer.

Makes about 5 cups (1.2 liters)

Coconut and raspberry cakes

I love baking with coconut - it's an ingredient I always have in my pantry. I had other plans for the coconut used in these adorable little cakes, but when I saw them on the magazine I could not resist. The cakes tasted great and were super tender, and it was also an opportunity to use the mini Bundt pans I hadn't used in ages; while unmolding the cakes I remembered why: it is always so difficult to remove them from the pans! Luckily the raspberry glaze covered some of the damaged parts, and it was so delicious I want to make it again to serve with vanilla ice cream or panna cotta.

Coconut and raspberry cakes
from Dish

Cakes:
280g unsalted butter, room temperature
280g granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (100g) unsweetened flaked coconut
½ cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
about 2 ½ cups frozen raspberries

Raspberry glaze:
200g frozen raspberries
200g raspberry jam
½ cup (120ml) water
2 teaspoons icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Generously brush eight 200ml capacity mini Bundt pans with melted butter.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt over the mixture, add the coconut and fold the ingredients in along with the milk and lemon zest.
Fill the cake pans halfway full. Top with 5 raspberries, then spoon over the remaining batter. Top with 4 raspberries. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool over a wire rack for 15 minutes then carefully unmold onto the rack. Cool completely.
Make the glaze: put the raspberries, jam and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is thick and reduced. Remove from the heat and tip into a fine sieve over a medium bowl, using the back of the spoon to press the mixture until only the seeds remain in the sieve. Discard the solids. Add the icing sugar to the glaze, mix to combine, let cool then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Spoon the glaze over the cakes and serve.

Makes 8 – I halved the cake recipe above, used 1-cup capacity mini Bundt pans and got 4 cakes; ¼ of the glaze recipe was enough to glaze all the 4 cakes

Marzipan brownies

I might be someone who loves sweets (and this blog is proof of that), but even I know there’s a certain limit to be considered: to avoid the risk of eating the marzipan left from the berry muffins I set up to find other delicious recipes to use the marzipan in, and after reading something about a chocolate marzipan cake somewhere – I am getting old and I don’t remember where, sorry – I thought that marzipan brownies would be a fantastic idea; since I wanted fudgy brownies and not cakey ones, I reached for Alice Medrich’s chocolate bible – because I was almost out of dark chocolate, I used her fabulous and super famous cocoa brownies as a vehicle for the marzipan; a tiny bit of almond extract, a sprinkling of flaked almonds and voilà: some pretty good marzipan brownies.

Marzipan brownies
adapted from the amazing Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate

210g unsalted butter
1 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons (375g) granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups (120g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
3 cold large eggs
¾ cup (105g) all-purpose flour
100g marzipan, chopped in small cubes
3 tablespoons flaked almonds

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 20x30cm (12x8in) baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Butter the foil.

In a medium heatproof bowl, add the butter and set on top of a large sauce pan with barely simmering water. Melt the butter, then add sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. Next add the cocoa powder and stir until mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
Stir in the vanilla and the almond extract with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Spread the marzipan pieces evenly over the batter, then cover with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.
Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Makes 24

Provolone and lemon pasta

I don’t know if the same happens to you, but sometimes I keep certain recipes in my head for a long time – it’s completely unintentional and there are times it takes me forever to actually make the recipe. I first saw this provolone and lemon pasta recipe several months ago (I believe it was last year) and thought it would be very tasty: a pasta sauce made of cheese and lemon? Perfect. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago: I was buying some cheese for a salad and right in front of me, on the counter, was a package of provolone dolce, which is a kind of cheese I’d never tried before. My mind raced like crazy and I immediately remembered the recipe, which turned out to be a delicious and super quick pasta dish – the only problem was not eating all the cheese before actually cooking lunch. :D

Provolone and lemon pasta
from the always wonderful Australian Gourmet Traveller

Lemon and thyme crumbs:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
50g coarse fresh breadcrumbs
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pasta and sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ large onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 cup (240ml) dry white wine
finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 ¼ cups (300ml) pouring cream
160g provolone dolce, finely grated
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g dried casarecce, capunti, strozzapreti or other short pasta

Start by making the thyme crumbs: heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add garlic and sauté until fragrant (1 minute). Add breadcrumbs, sauté until golden (2-3 minutes), add lemon and thyme, season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.

Pasta and sauce: cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (6-8 minutes) – while the pasta cooks, make the sauce: heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic and sauté until tender (2-3 minutes). Add wine, lemon zest and juice, simmer until reduced by half (2-3 minutes). Add cream, simmer until reduced by half (2-3 minutes), then add provolone and thyme, stir until smooth and combined (1-2 minutes), season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
Drain the pasta, reserving ¼ cup (60ml) of the cooking water. Return pasta to the saucepan and add the cream sauce, stirring to coat. Add a little of the cooking water to loosen up the sauce (you might not need all the water). Serve hot, topped with lemon and thyme crumbs.

Serves 4

Oreo and peanut butter pie

After several posts with fruit-based sweets I now bring you something extremely sinful: crushed Oreo cookies, topped with peanut butter and chocolate. I know, I know, this is not what we would call a light dessert, but certain moments call for decadent, over-the-top sweets – and on all the other days you can have an apple after lunch. ;)

Oreo and peanut butter pie
slightly adapted from the brilliant Delicious - Australia

Base:
20 Oreos (or other chocolate cream cookies)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling and topping:
250g crunchy peanut butter
¾ cup (105g) icing sugar, sifted
150g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
75g unsalted butter

Finely crush the cookies in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse to combine. Press into the base and sides of a lightly buttered 24cm loose-bottomed tart pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Using an electric mixer, combine peanut butter and icing sugar until smooth. Spread in the tart base. Refrigerate while you make the topping.
Place chocolate and butter in a clean bowl over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted, then cool for 15-20 minutes. Spread over the peanut butter layer and chill for 30 minutes until firm. Cut into slices and serve.

Serves 8-10

Tangerine butter cake

Looking for a simple cake recipe, I found this golden and delicious cake - it is the perfect companion for a cup of tea; it was a great way to use up the sweetened condensed milk left from the cheesecake making, as well a a wonderful way to put to good use some tangerines I'd had in the fridge for more than one week.

Tangerine butter cake
slightly adapted from Dan Lepard's column at the Guardian

Cake:
2 large eggs, separated
pinch of salt
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar, divided use
100g unsalted butter, melted
125g condensed milk
finely grated zest of 2 tangerines
½ cup (120ml) tangerine juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Icing:
¾ cup (105g) icing sugar
finely grated zest of 1 tangerine
about 1½ tablespoons tangerine juice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°C. Lightly butter a 22x12cm (9x5in) loaf pan, line it with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until frothy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons of the sugar then beat until a soft meringue forms. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, condensed milk, the remaining sugar, egg yolks, tangerine zest and juice and vanilla until smooth. Sift together the flour and baking powder over the batter and beat until smooth. Fold through the meringue quickly and evenly. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold. Remove the paper and cool completely on the rack.
Icing: sift the sugar into a small bowl and stir in the zest. Gradually add the juice, stirring until a pourable consistency (add more juice or water if necessary). Pour over the cake and set aside for 30 minutes to set.

Serves 6-8

White chocolate cheesecake with passion fruit sauce

The sour² cake I published the other day was just the beginning of a passion fruit frenzy: not only because I love the fruit but also because I got hypnotized by its amazing smell and brought home too many at once. :D

I’m always inclined to mix white chocolate with citrus flavors because the acidity seems to cut through the sweetness like no other flavors do – that is why I could not resist Valli Little’s gorgeous cheesecake, but me being me, I slightly adapted the recipe to make mini versions of it. :D

White chocolate cheesecake with passion fruit sauce
slightly adapted from the always amazing Delicious - Australia

100g shortbread biscuits
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
75g white chocolate
2 gelatin leaves
2 tablespoons whole milk
250g cream cheese, softened
½ can (198g) sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup (160ml) heavy cream
1/3 cup passion fruit pulp
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) water

Lightly butter four 1-cup capacity mini cake pans with removable bottoms.
For the base, place the cookies in a food processor and blitz until ground. Add the butter, pulse to combine, then press into the base of the cake pans. Chill for 30 minutes.
Filling: place chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), stirring until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until just below boiling point then remove from the heat. Squeeze excess water from the gelatin leaves and add leaves to the hot milk, stirring until dissolved. Set aside.
Whiz cream cheese, condensed milk and milk mixture in a food processor until smooth. Add chocolate and pulse to combine. Whisk cream to soft peaks, then fold into chocolate mixture. Pour over cookie base. Chill for 6 hours or overnight.
Syrup: pulse the passion fruit pulp in a food processor a few times to separate the pulp from the seeds. Strain, reserving seeds and juice. Set aside.
Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Increase heat to medium-low and cook, swirling the pan occasionally and brushing down the sides with a damp pastry brush, for3-4 minutes until a golden caramel. Add passion fruit juice and 2 tablespoons cold water (be careful as it may spit), reduce heat to low and stir until smooth and syrupy. Cool slightly, then stir in some of the reserved seeds (to taste). Chill until ready to serve.
Serve the cheesecake drizzled with passion fruit sauce.

Makes 4

Apple berry almond tart, baking failures and "Munich"

I’ve trashed Steven Spielberg once or twice already (despite loving “Jaws” and the Indiana Jones trilogy), but last week I saw an excellent movie directed by him: “Munich”. It’s a very long movie (almost 3 hours long), but it keeps you hooked every step of the way – it’s like those books you feel like taking to the shower with you because you can’t put them down. The cast is packed with favorites of mine (Bana, Craig, and the glorious Hinds and Rush), and I was surprised by a wonderful Mathieu Kassovitz , whom I’d always associated to the beautiful “Amélie” – because of his powerful performance in “Munich” I’ve added “La Haine” to my “to watch” list.
I might find some of Spielberg’s movies quite cheesy – “Hook”, anyone? – but I must admit that very few directors know how to perfectly place the camera and move it around like he does; he should stick to adult movies (and stop ruining them at the end, like he did with “Schindler’s List”).

---

Dan Lepard’s recipes have become my go-to strategy when I want to avoid baking failures – after making one of Lisa Yockelson’s cakes and throwing it in the garbage (her cake recipes are always so great, I do not know what happened there), I felt like making something different; I decided for a tart and went straight for one of Lepard’s recipes – better safe than sorry, right? ;)
The tart turned out delicious and the combination of apples, almonds and berry preserves was a match made in heaven.

Apple berry almond tart
from Lepard’s column at the Guardian, and also from his absolutely great cookbook (one of my all time favorites)

¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons (25g) corn starch, packed
pinch of salt
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (78g) granulated sugar
1 egg, separated
½ cup (50g) ground almonds
1 tablespoon Amaretto (or brandy)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large Granny Smith apple
125g any dark berry preserves – I used blackcurrant
3 tablespoons flaked almonds

Combine the flour, corn starch and salt into a large bowl with 75g of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Rub together just until the lumps of butter disappear, add the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of ice water, and work to a smooth, soft dough. Wrap, chill for 1 hour, then roll out and line a lightly buttered 20cm fluted tart pan with a removable bottom*. Prick the dough all over with a fork and freeze for 40 minutes. – in the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Line the pastry with baking paper and cover with dried beans/baking weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the paper and beans/weights and bake for 10 minutes longer. Keep the oven on.

Beat the remaining 50g of butter, the ground almonds and remaining sugar with the egg white and the Amaretto and vanilla until smooth. Peel, core and finely dice the apple, and stir it through the almond cream. Spread the jam over the base of the tart case, cover with almond cream and sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is nicely puffed and golden.

* I made the exact recipe above using a 30x10cm (12x4in) tart pan

Serves 6-8

Lemon cake with passion fruit syrup

I've admitted that this blog has had its share of lemon tarts and bars, so I won't even mention the massive amount of lemon cakes, right? :D
Lemon cakes are my favorite cakes, and I pretty much always have lemons around, therefore it's an easy choice for me. This time, however, I've more than satisfied my constant cravings for sour flavors by topping a lemon cake with a passion fruit syrup: sour². :D

Lemon cake with passion fruit syrup
slightly adapted from the always wonderful Donna Hay Magazine

Cake:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream*
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
2 ½ cups (350g) all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Passion fruit syrup:
1/3 cup (80g) passion fruit pulp, with the seeds
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
½ cup (120ml) water

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 23cm (9in) round cake pan, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Cake: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine. Mix in the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes** before removing to a rack over a plate.
Syrup: combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over a low heat, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and boil for 4-5 minutes or until it thickened and syrupy. Pour over the cake. Cool before slicing.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

** the cake was too tender, so I cooled it in the pan for 15 minutes before unmolding it

Serves 8-10

Spiced chestnut financiers

Financiers are one of my favorite things to bake: they are so cute and petite, I love anything almond and always have more than enough egg whites in the freezer. So while baking with my chestnut flour I immediately thought of a financier version made with it, which turned out interesting with a hint of cinnamon; however, unlike the financiers made with almond meal, the flavor in these did not develop with time, so they're best eaten the day they're made (and taste really good with a dollop of cherry jam).

Spiced chestnut financiers
adapted from the great Simply Bill

½ cup (50g) chestnut flour
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (68g) icing sugar + a bit extra for dusting
3 tablespoons (30g) all purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 egg whites
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease and flour twelve 2-tablespoon capacity financier molds.
In a large bowl, sift together the chestnut flour, icing sugar, all purpose flour, salt and cinnamon. Stir in the egg whites until just combined. Stir in the melted butter.
Pour the batter in the pans. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden - the financiers should spring back when touched. Remove from the oven and leave in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar and store in an airtight container.

Makes 12

Lemon & honey Anzac tart

Lemon tarts – or lemon bars, for that matter – are not something exactly new on this blog, but since they’re among the most delicious desserts out there I never tire of baking them. When I saw the Australian Delicious lemon tart version with a crust made of Anzac cookies I had to bake it and I’m glad I did: the tart is wonderful and not difficult to make. I believe that store-bought ANZAC cookies are easy to find Down Under, but not in Brazil – so if you can’t find the cookies where you live either, do not worry: I’ll share the recipe I used to make mine.

Lemon & honey Anzac tart
from the fabulous Delicious - Australia

300g Anzac cookies – recipe follows
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey + some extra to serve
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
2/3 cup (160ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
395g can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
4 eggs
whipped cream, to serve

Lightly butter a 22x4cm round loose-bottomed tart pan*.
Place cookies in a food processor and whiz until fine crumbs. Gradually add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles damp sand – add butter gradually because depending on how buttery the cookies are you might not even need all the butter. Press crumb mixture into the base and sides of prepared pan. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 170°C/338°F. Place honey, lemon zest and juice, condensed milk, cream and eggs in a bowl and whisk gently until combined. Pour into the tart case and bake for 35 minutes or until just set but the centre still has a gentle wobble. Cool in the pan to room temperature, then place in the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours or until cold and set.
To serve, slice the tart and drizzle with thickened cream and extra honey.

* my pan was the right diameter but wasn’t deep enough, so I made the exact amount of base but halved the filling recipe; my tart was done after 15 minutes in the oven

Serves 6-8

ANZAC cookies
from the always wonderful Modern Classics 2

1 cup (115g) rolled oats
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (75g) desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons golden syrup
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon hot water

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
In a large bowl mix the oats, flour, sugar and coconut. Place the golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted. Mix the baking soda with the water and add to the butter mixture. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Place tablespoons of the mixture onto prepared sheets 5cm (2in) apart. Flatten slightly. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 22 – I rolled 2 leveled tablespoons of dough per cookie and got 20

Baked apple and maple doughnuts

One of the many things I loved about NY was the food: I ate wonderful things in several places, and brought home some great ingredients, too; I had many, many addresses on my list and unfortunately couldn’t go to all of them, and one of those places was the Doughnut Plant – my plan was to try their crème brûlée doughnut, but that will have to be done on my next trip to NY.
While that doesn’t happen, I made doughnuts at home – a very nice baked version I found in the glorious Gourmet Traveller.

Baked apple and maple doughnuts
from the beautiful Australian Gourmet Traveller

Dough:
5 1/3 cups (745g) all purpose flour
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (145g) granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons (7g) dried yeast
1 cup (240ml) lukewarm whole milk + a bit extra for brushing
1/3 cup (80ml) buttermilk*
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted

Apple-maple filling:
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and coarsely chopped
½ cup (120ml) maple syrup
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) water
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lemon
2 cinnamon quills

For assembling:
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar combined with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine flour, sugar and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix to combine. In another bowl, whisk together milk, buttermilk, eggs and butter. With motor running, add milk mixture and mix on medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic (4-5 minutes). Form into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place until double in size (1-1½ hours).
Meanwhile, for apple-maple filling, combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then cook over medium heat until apple is tender and liquid is syrupy (about 10 minutes), then cool completely.
Line two large baking sheets with foil.
Knock down dough, turn onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to 5mm thick. Using an 8cm-diameter cutter, cut 24rounds from dough (re-roll scraps if necessary). Place half the rounds 5cm (2in) apart on the prepared baking sheets and place a heaped teaspoon of apple-maple filling in centre of each (try to remove the excess syrup from each portion of filling before placing it onto the dough). Brush edges with milk, cover with the remaining dough rounds and press to seal edges well. Trim edges by cutting with a 7cm-diameter cutter. Cover with a tea towel and stand in a warm place until risen (1-1½ hours).
Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Brush doughnuts with milk then bake until bottoms are just golden (8-10 minutes). While the doughnuts are still hot, dip them in the melted butter, toss in the cinnamon sugar and serve with maple syrup and any leftover apple/syrup mixture.

* homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken slightly, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Makes 12 – I halved the recipe above, used 8cm and 7cm cutters and still got 12 doughnuts

Chocolate stout cake with peanut butter frosting

I've been trying to keep up with the inventory idea for the last year and it's worked out fine so far: the ingredients no longer end up in the garbage and that is great. From time to time I check the contents of my pantry/freezer/fridge to make sure nothing goes to waste and a couple of days ago I found a can of Guinness beer in the cupboard; while searching for something delicious to make with it I remembered this great cake I made months ago but still hadn't shared with you - it's another one of Donna Hay's wonderful recipes and it was the first time I ever baked with stout beer.

Chocolate stout cake with peanut butter frosting
slightly adapted from the always gorgeous Donna Hay Magazine

Cake:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
½ cup (120ml) Guinness or other stout beer
½ cup (113g/1stick) unsalted butter, chopped
1/3 cup (30g) cocoa, sifted
1 egg
1/3 cup sour cream*
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) granulated sugar

Peanut butter frosting:
½ cup (70g) icing sugar, sifted
½ cup smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, softened
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ½ tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 1.5l loaf pan, line it baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Cake: in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Place the stout and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir to melt the butter. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa; set aside.
Whisk together the egg, sour cream and vanilla. Add to the stout mixture, followed by the sugar and the sifted ingredients. Whisk to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully unmold cake and transfer to the rack. Cool completely.

Frosting: place the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the cream and beat for a further 2 minutes. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake to serve.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 6-8

Marzipan and berry muffins with amazingly good homemade marzipan

Certain things to me are revelations, and Paul Hollywood’s fabulous homemade marzipan was one: when I was little every time my German grandmother came to visit she would bring small boxes of marzipan – she loved the stuff. Soon I began loving marzipan, too, and that was pretty much the only good thing about grandma’s visits (let’s just say she wasn’t a pleasant person to be around).

Grandma Frida stopped visiting after my mom died, and then a few years later she was gone, too, and that was the end of my marzipan-flavored days. As a grown-up I began searching for that delicious marzipan, the one I ate as a kid, and to my disappointment the versions I found tasted nothing like it – they were poorly made artificial versions of the almond paste and tasted of anything but almonds.
Last week, though, flipping through my newest purchase, I found a recipe for marzipan that seemed easy; since I had all the ingredients at home I gave it a go immediately, and the result was a thick, luscious marzipan, with an amazing texture and equally fantastic flavor, so good I had to hide it in my fridge otherwise I could have easily eaten a pound of it in one seating.

The combination of raspberries, strawberries and marzipan involved by a very tender and almond-y batter is what makes these muffins the best I’ve ever made; I would love to tell you how addictively flavorsome the warm marzipan bits tasted inside the muffins, but I’ll stop before I drool over my keyboard. :)

Marzipan and berry muffins
slightly adapted from the gorgeous Delicious - Australia

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (185g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup + 2 ½ tablespoons (180g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 ½ cups (150g) almond meal
pinch of salt
100g marzipan, chopped into small cubes – I used homemade, recipe follows
100g fresh strawberries, chopped into small cubes
100g frozen raspberries, unthawed
icing sugar, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a 12-hole muffin pan (each cavity holds 1/3 cup batter) with paper cases, or generously butter the pan cavities.
Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until thick and pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Fold in the flour, almond meal and salt, then fold in the marzipan. Divide the batter among muffin holes.
Scatter the berries over the top (I pushed them a little into the batter) , then bake muffins for 25-30 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then very gently unmold them. Transfer to a wire rack.
Dust the muffins with icing sugar and before serving – these muffins taste even more amazing while still warm.

Makes 12

Homemade marzipan
from the beautiful and fantastic How to Bake

1 large egg
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
90g superfine sugar*
1 cup (140g) icing sugar, sifted
220g almond meal
finely grated zest of 1 orange

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and vanilla with a fork.
In a large bowl, mix together the superfine sugar, the icing sugar and the almond meal. Add the zest and the egg mixture and combine first with a wooden spoon, then with your hands. Knead the marzipan until smooth. Form into a ball, wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Marzipan can be kept well wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

*I always use granulated sugar in my recipes, but I did not want a grainy texture in the marzipan, therefore I blitzed the sugar in the food processor before using it

Makes 500g

Almond joy tartlets

A couple of months ago my friend Ana Elisa and I were talking about the new Baked cookbook that was about to be released (it’s out now). We were talking about purchasing the book or not, since both of us have the other two Baked cookbooks but neither of us have baked much from them. Culinary coincidences, I guess. Then Ana decided to put those cookbooks into some good use and kept telling me how pleased she was with the results, that was when I thought I should do the same – that is why I baked these tartlets (that and the fact that I needed to use up some cream I had in the fridge).

I have never had an Almond Joy candy bar but thought that the combination of chocolate, almonds and coconut would certainly turn out delicious; the tartlets are a bit time consuming because of the three components that have to be made, but you can break the recipe down into little projects and divide the whole thing in two days – that is what I did.

Almond joy tartlets
from a cookbook I’m determined to use more often

Dough:
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (195g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and chopped

Filling:
225g (8oz) white chocolate, chopped
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
2 cups (200g) sweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoon Amaretto or rum

Glaze:
55g (2oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped
55g (2oz) milk chocolate, chopped
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
6 whole toasted almonds

Dough: place the almond meal, sugar, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process to combine. Add the butter and pulse until sandy. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg and vanilla together with a fork. With the machine running, pour in the egg mixture, a little at a time, just until the dough comes together – you might not need all the mixture. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Filling: place the white chocolate and the cream in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Lightly butter six 10cm (4in) tartlet pans with removable bottoms. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and place each part between two pieces of lightly floured baking paper – dough is sticky, so make sure it’s cold when you roll it. Roll into a rough circle, then carefully transfer to the tartlet pan and gently press it to the bottom and sides of the pan. Remove any dough scraps. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Prick the base of the dough with a fork and freeze for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Line crusts with a piece of foil or baking paper and fill it with dried beans/baking weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans/weights and the paper and bake for 10 minutes longer or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely over a wire rack.
Place the chilled white chocolate ganache in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Do not overwhip. Gently fold in the coconut and the Amaretto. Spread the filling over the crusts and place one almond in the center of each tartlet. Refrigerate while you make the glaze.
For the glaze, place the chocolates in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream until it just comes to a boil, then pour it over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes, then spoon the glaze evenly over the tarts. Refrigerate again until glaze is set, about 10 minutes.
Tarts can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 2 days.

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe above, used tartlet pans the same size called for and got 4 tartlets