Cocoa waffles with caramelized bananas

Sometimes I think about how many times we change our minds throughout different phases of life, ages, etc. I always say that I don’t get a tattoo because I am not able to like something forever – I would probably regret the tattoo right after getting inked.

When I was younger I thought that breakfast in bed was oh, so cool: the romcoms I watched as a teenager gave me the impression that having breakfast in bed was truly romantic. Now, at the age of 42, I don’t want to eat anything in bed – dirty sheets, crumbs prickling me at night? Thanks, but no thanks. :)

So I would rather have my breakfast on the table, and for the weekend, when I have more time, waffles go really well: I love this recipe for I believe chocolate and bananas are a match made in heaven. And of course you can serve these waffles as dessert, too.

 

Cocoa waffles with caramelized bananas

own recipe

 

Waffles:

1 cup (140g) all purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

pinch of table salt

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled – for crispier waffles, replace butter with olive oil or canola oil

1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Caramelized bananas:

2 ½ tablespoons - 35g – unsalted butter

1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 medium bananas, sliced in coins

1 ½ tablespoons whisky, Marsala, rum or water (if you don’t want to use booze)

 

In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients and fold until incorporated – batter will be sort of lumpy, that is OK.

Heat a waffle iron. Add about 1/3 cup of batter per waffle (adjust the amount of batter depending on the size of your machine), then cook following the manufacturer's instructions, until the waffles are golden brown.

While the waffles cook, prepare the bananas: melt butter in a large nonstick frying pan over high heat. Add the sugar and the cinnamon and mix with a spatula until sugar starts to melt. Add the bananas and cook them ever so slightly on both sides until golden. Add the booze (if using) carefully not to get burned. Mix to dissolve the caramel in the frying pan and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and serve immediately with the waffles.

Serves 4

Buttermilk pound cake - perfect with a cup of coffee (or tea)

Because of the recently acquired habit ofcoffee breaks at home, I have been searching for good cake recipes on my books and on the Internet – I no longer remember the last time I had stayed in my couch for hours bookmarking cake recipes: for a good while, my main focus was savory recipes only, with a cookie or a brownie recipe here and there for the people at the office.

I felt like having a slice of plain cake, simple, but with a tender texture. When I saw Sydney’s photos I knew I had to bake that buttermilk cake! It was exactly what I wanted, and the photos were mouthwatering. I immediately marched to the kitchen to remove the butter from the fridge.

Her recipe does not specify the size of the loaf pan, but I knew that mine would not fit a batter made with 3 cups of flour. I downsized the recipe slightly to make a smaller cake and loved the result. My husband told me that the sugary crust was the best part of the cake, while to me it was the very tender middle part.

I used Frangelico to perfume the cake – I love using booze in recipes – but go for vanilla extract if you don’t want to use alcohol (Sydney does not use anything in her cake). I have been thinking of making this cake again, adding orange zest and Cointreau in the batter – yum!

Buttermilk pound cake

slightly adapted from this lovely blog

 

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon table salt

2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 ½ tablespoons Frangelico – optional; Amaretto would be delicious as well. If not using liquor, replace with 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup (120ml) buttermilk*

 

For sprinkling over the cake:

1 tablespoon granulated or demerara sugar

 

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 6-cup capacity loaf pan, line it with baking paper leaving an overhang on the two larger sides, and then butter the paper as well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, at least 4-5 minutes – the more you beat these ingredients together the better the texture of your cake will be.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating each in until adding the next, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times during the making of the entire recipe. Beat in the Frangelico (if using).

In low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions (start and finish with the dry ingredients). Mix until incorporated, but do not overmix.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until golden and risen and until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 30 minutes, then carefully lift the cake using the paper and transfer to the rack to cool completely.

Cake can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days, but I thought that it started to dry out slightly after day 3 (we ate it anyway). :D 

* buttermilk is not sold in Brazil, so I made a homemade version using whole milk and lime juice

 

Serves 8-10 slices

Buttermilk pancakes - easy and delicious

One of the things I have this blog to thank for is learning how to make pancakes, or American style pancakes as we call them here – I grew up eating what we call pancakes here, which are thin like crepes and filled with savory fillings like beef mince or chicken, and covered with tomato or Béchamel sauce (they’re very much like manicotti).

The pancakes I grew up with are delicious, indeed, and I still make them every now and then, but they are not fit for breakfast or those afternoons when you crave something sweet and there isn’t much in the pantry or refrigerator to bake or cook with – for those occasions, fluffy pancakes drizzled with syrup are perfect.

These are fluffy, delicious and super easy to make – I have lost track of how many times I have made this recipe, always with wonderful results. When I’m not in a hurry to watch something on TV I cook a sliced banana in a bit of butter, sugar and cinnamon until it’s caramelized and eat with the pancakes – so, so good.

Buttermilk pancakes
from the delicious Bill's Basics

100g all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled + a bit extra for frying the pancakes
150ml buttermilk*

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the buttermilk.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat and brush it lightly with butter. Using about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake, pour the batter onto the pan and cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes – when bubbles appear on the surface, turn the pancakes and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side.
Serve with maple syrup, honey, dusted with icing sugar or with whatever strikes your fancy.

* 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 about 10

Apple and buttermilk fritters - a delicious excuse to fry

It’s no secret how much I love Gourmet Traveller – I have made tons of recipes from the magazine and they turned out delicious. I always have several recipes from the magazine on my radar (me and my never ending list) and now, because of the fall, I’ve been targeting the ones with apples and pears, and I intend to make the doughnuts filled with quince jelly as soon as I get my hands on some quince; while that doesn’t happen, I enjoy these apple fritters, which are delicious and very easy to put together – I don’t usually fry food at home, but these are the perfect excuse for it. :)

Apple and buttermilk fritters
from the always gorgeous Australian Gourmet Traveller

Fritters:
1 ¾ cups + ½ tablespoon (250g) all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk*
2 eggs, separated
2 Granny Smith apples, coarsely grated
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
pinch of salt

Cinnamon sugar:
1 cup (200g) granulated or caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in the sugar and lemon zest and make a well in the centre. Add buttermilk, yolks and vanilla, stir until smooth, stir in apple. Set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, for cinnamon sugar, combine ingredients in a bowl, then spread on a tray and set aside.
Preheat oil in a deep-fryer or deep-sided small saucepan to 180°C/350°F.
Whisk egg whites and salt in a bowl until firm peaks form. Fold one-third of egg white into apple mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining egg white. Spoon rough quenelles of mixture into hot oil, in batches, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through (2-3 minutes; be careful as hot oil may spit). Drain in paper towels, toss in cinnamon sugar and serve hot.

* 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 about 40

Rose water panna cotta with baked blueberry jam

Anyone who listens to my Ipod or my CDs will notice that most of the music I love is old – I’m not interested in the music enjoyed by most people nowadays (with a few exceptions). My favorite songs have been favorites for the last 20 years or so. Does that make me an old fart? You can be honest and tell me. ;)

To balance the situation, I’ve brought you today four “things” relatively new to me – things I tried for the first time in the past 4-5 years: panna cotta, buttermilk, rose water and blueberries (what a delicious combo they make, my goodness). :D

Rose water panna cotta with baked blueberry jam
from Donna Hay magazine

Panna cotta:
1/3 cup (80ml) water
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
2 cups (480ml) buttermilk*
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (156g) icing sugar
1 tablespoon rose water

Blueberry jam**:
125g fresh blueberries
¼ cup (50g) superfine sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Start with the panna cotta: place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Set aside for 5 minutes or until gelatin absorbs the water. Combine the buttermilk, cream, icing sugar and rose water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar has just dissolved. Add the gelatin mixture and cook, stirring, for further 1-2 minutes or until gelatin is dissolved. Strain into a jug and allow cooling. Divide mixture into six 2/3 cup (160ml) capacity glasses or ramekins and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until set.
Make the jam: preheat the oven to 180°/350°F. Place the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small ovenproof dish and mix to combine. Bake for 15 minutes or until berries release their juices and mixture is bubbling. Cool completely.
Top each panna cotta with the jam and serve.

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

** this jam is absolutely delicious with vanilla ice cream, too.

Serves 6

Lemon ginger frozen yogurt and the beginning of fall

Fall has arrived and the days have been gray in Sao Paulo – the sun comes up for a while, but fat, heavy clouds seem much stronger and take over the sky.

I am not complaining for I love cold days, but this frozen yogurt certainly reminds me of the last days of summer – fresh, tangy, delicious.

Lemon ginger frozen yogurt
slightly adapted from the amazing Bon Appetit Desserts

¾ cup (180ml) water
¾ cup (150g) caster (superfine) sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 cup (260g) plain yogurt
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Bring the water, sugar, corn syrup and ginger into a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into a medium bowl and chill until cool.
Whisk the yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice and zest into the ginger syrup. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 weeks.

Serves 6

Banana poppy seed cake with lemon glaze

Last week my lovely Brazilian blogger friend Ana Elisa asked her followers if they wanted an apple or a banana recipe on her blog – I voted for banana, but the apple post won at the end and she published these mouthwatering apple fritters (I bookmarked the recipe immediately). :)

We’ll have bananas here, then, as a very tender and deliciously moist cake, made with bananas that had been in my freezer for 2 months.

Banana poppy seed cake with lemon glaze
slightly adapted from Baking for All Occasions

Cake:
1 ¾ cups (245g) cake flour*
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
¾ cup (170g/2 small or 1 large) mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (90ml) well shaken buttermilk
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Glaze:
½ cup (70g) icing sugar, sifted
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Center a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 25x5cm (10x2in) round cake pan (10 cup capacity), line the bottom with baking paper, butter the paper then flour everything, tapping to remove any excess**. Have all the ingredients at room temperature.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a small bowl; add the poppy seeds and set aside. In another small bowl, stir together the bananas and buttermilk.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, 30-45 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, add the sugar in a steady stream and continue beating until the mixture is lighter in color and texture, 2-3 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, about 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing after each addition until incorporated. Continue beating until the mixture is fluffy and pale ivory. The entire process of adding and beating the eggs should take about 2 minutes. On the lowest speed, add the banana-buttermilk mixture until blended. Turn off the mixer and using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture in three additions. With each addition, scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing until the batter is smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake until golden, springs back when gently touched in the center and the sides are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35-40 minutes (start checking at 30). Transfer the pan to a wire rack, let cool for 10 minutes, then carefully unmold onto another wire rack. Peel off the baking paper and let cool completely.
Make the glaze: in a small bowl, stir together the sugar and zest. Gradually add the lemon juice, stirring, until the desired consistency. Drizzle the cake with the glaze.
* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

** I used a 6-cup capacity ring cake pan

Serves 8-10

Silver poppy seed cake trifle

How can a trifle made with a slice of a very tender cake, topped with cream and berries and sprinkled with toasted almonds go wrong? Exactly – it can’t.

The same way a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Patricia Clarkson and Jackie Earle Haley directed by Mr. Scorsese just can go wrong – it has got to be one of the best things I have ever seen.

If you haven’t watched “Shutter Island” yet, do yourself a favor and run to the nearest movie theater. :)

Silver poppy seed cake trifle
from Baking for All Occasions, presentation inspired by Nigella’s lemon-raspberry plate trifle


Cake:
2 ¼ cups (315g) cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (60ml) whole milk
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
½ cup (60ml) well shaken buttermilk
¼ cup poppy seeds
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
200g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
4 large (120ml) egg whites, lightly beaten

To serve:
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 180°C/350°F. Lightly coat a 32.5x22.5x5cm (13x9x2in) pan (quarter sheet pan)* with butter/nonstick spray, and line the bottom with parchment paper, coating the paper as well. Then flour it, tapping out the excess. Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a small bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the milk with the vanilla bean just until lukewarm. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk, scrape the seeds from the bean into the milk with a small pairing knife and discard the pod. Pour the vanilla flavored milk into a small bowl, add the buttermilk, poppy seeds and lemon juice, and stir to blend. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it is lighter in color, cling to the side of the bowl and has a satiny appearance, 30-45 seconds. Add the sugar in a steady stream, then stop the mixer and scrape down the gritty, sandy mixture clinging to the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat on medium speed until the mixture is very light in color and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg whites, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated before adding more – this is especially important for egg whites because a large percentage of an egg white is water. If at any time the batter appears watery or shiny (signs of curdling) stop the flow of egg whites, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the batter looks smooth again. Then return to medium speed and resume adding the egg whites. Continue to beat, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl at least once or twice, until all the whites have been added and the mixture is fluffy.
On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternately with the buttermilk mixture in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing after each addition until incorporated. Stop the mixer after each addition to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and with a rubber spatula spread the batter from the center outward, creating a slightly raised ridge around the outside rim (since heat is conducted faster near the metal rim, mounding the batter around the edges ensures the cake will bake more evenly and will be more leveled).
Bake the cake until raised and golden, 38-42 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, carefully unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

Assembling the trifle: cut the cooled cake in thick slices and place on small serving plates. Top with 2-3 tablespoons of the whipped cream, a few strawberry slices and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

* I halved the recipe above and used a 10x20cm (4x8in) loaf pan

Serves 8-10

Vanilla buttermilk cake with whipped passion fruit ganache for a very special someone

Last year, it was lemon and strawberries; this time, vanilla and passion fruit take the stage to celebrate my sister’s birthday.

I don’t bake layer cakes as often as I would like to, but when I do this is the first book I reach for – again, the results were great. The cake layers turned out tender and the ganache was delicious and light, yet easy to spread and firm enough to hold the cake together (I adapted a white chocolate ganache recipe from the book).

Not completely sure if Jessica’d liked the cake, I asked: “wanna take some home?” - when she smiled and eagerly said “yes!” there was no doubt left. :D

Vanilla buttermilk cake with whipped passion fruit ganache
adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Cake:
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups (300ml) buttermilk – divided use
3 cups (420g) cake flour, sifted*
2 cups (400g) sugar – I used vanilla infused sugar
4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Passion fruit ganache:
168g (6oz) white chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup + 1 ½ cups (440ml) heavy cream – divided use
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup (120ml) pulp of passion fruit

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans or spray to coat with vegetable oil. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and grease the paper.

Put the eggs and the yolks in a medium bowl, add the vanilla and ¼ cup (60ml) of buttermilk. Whisk to blend well.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl – it has to be large, because there will be a huge amount of batter; whisk to blend. Add the butter and the remaining 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk and butter to these dry ingredients and with the mixer on low, blend together. Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing only until thoroughly incorporated. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.

Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes or until a cake tester or a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes; then carefully turn out onto wire racks, peel off the paper liners and let cool completely.

Prepare the ganache: put the white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 cup (80ml) of the cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let stand for 1 minute then whisk until smooth. Let stand until cool to room temperature.
Process the passion fruit pulp in a food processor or blender to crack the seeds. Pass through a fine sieve directly onto the white chocolate mixture and mix well (I left a bit of seeds in the ganache just to make the cake look more like a passion fruit).
In a chilled bowl, with chilled beaters, beat the remaining 1 ½ cups of cream (360ml) with the sugar until softly whipped. Stir in the passion fruit cream and beat until fairly stiff, taking care not to overbeat the mixture, which would cause the ganache to separate.

To assemble the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread about ½ cup of the whipped ganache over the layer right to the edge. Repeat with the next layer. Plate the last layer on top and use the remaining ganache to frost the top and sides of the cake.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 12-16

Lime poppy seed muffins

If my blog were a soccer championship, the Lemon Team would be on their way to grab the Cup. But I felt that would not be fair to the other citrus I love so much – poor limes and oranges haven’t been around here in a while. :(

In order to balance the score, I used limes instead of lemons in these muffins – the recipe comes from the lovely and dear Lynne, who was also kind enough to ship me a box of goodies and poppy seeds (I can’t find them here).

Thank you, Lynne, for both the gifts and the wonderful recipe!
xoxo

Lime poppy seed muffins

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
1 egg
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (124g) sugar
2 tablespoons lime zest
¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ¼ cups (300ml) buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
In a large mixing bowl, sift and whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a smaller bowl combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub them together until the sugar is slightly moist and fragrant. Add the egg, the butter, the buttermilk, lime juice and the vanilla. Mix well.
Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir with a fork just until moistened. Do not over mix. The batter will be fairly thick.
Divide batter evenly into 12 paper-lined or greased muffin cups. Bake muffins on rack in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until muffins test done.

Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 12 – I got 11; my muffin pans hold 1/3 cup (80ml) batter each

Sky-high strawberry shortcake

I hadn’t used one of my favorite books in quite a while and looking at its cover I knew exactly what recipe to choose from it. Yes, strawberries again – I’ve warned you, remember? :D

This cake is so pretty I’d an eye on it since buying the book, but I ended up making other cakes from it and all of a sudden the strawberry season was gone. I would not make the same mistake this time, oh, no!

It is, indeed, a beautiful dessert and it tastes wonderful, but it’s really unstable and difficult to slice (even after 5 hours in the fridge, more than the recipe calls for). There was some filling and cream left, so combined them with some cake scraps to make a trifle:

Sky-high strawberry shortcake
from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Cake:
5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) caster sugar*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk

Fresh strawberry filling:
4 cups strawberries, small if possible
2 teaspoons rosewater
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup (100g) caster sugar*

Whipped cream:
1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons caster sugar*

Garnish:
a few whole strawberries, sliced in half if desired, leaves on

Start by baking the cake: preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Grease the bottoms and sides of three 15cm (6in) round cake pans. Line the bottom of each with a round of parchment or baking paper and grease the paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk, in 2 or 3 additions. Beat well. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans.

Bake the cake layers for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes then invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper and allow to cool completely – I removed the paper after the cakes were completely cool.

Now, the filling: wash and hull the berries and slice into pieces about the thickness of a nickel. Place in a bowl and add the rosewater, vanilla and sugar. Stir to coat them well, cover the bowl, and let the berries macerate at room temperature until they exude their juices, about 1 hour.

Whip the cream: in a large chilled bowl, with chilled beaters, whip the cream with the sugar until stiff – there will be about 3 cups.

Assembling the cake: place one cake layer, flat side up, on a small cake stand or serving plate. Top with 3/4 cup of the fresh strawberry filling, spooning it over the entire layer and making sure any juices go onto the cake layer and not the plate, if possible. Top this with 1 cup of the whipped cream, spreading it evenly over the berries. Repeat with the second cake layer and another ¾ cup filling and 1 cup whipped cream. Top with the final cake layer flat side up. Cover with the last of the whipped cream and garnish with the whole berries. For best flavor, cover the dessert with a cake dome or loose plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours before slicing. Serve with the remaining strawberry filling on the side.

* I used vanilla infused sugar

Serves 8-10

Baklava muffins

When I began reading food blogs (many months before starting my own) I noticed that many people had a love/hate relationship with two ladies: Nigella and Martha Stewart. I did not know much about them but soon became a huge fan of both. That is why I chose a recipe by Nigella as the first recipe ever posted on my blog in Portuguese.

That was a long time ago and I felt like baking these muffins again – they are really good. I did not have this blog in English back then, that’s why I post these here right now.

Baklava muffins
from here

Filling:
scant ½ cup (50g) chopped walnuts
1/3 cup (67g) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted

Muffins:
1 cup + 7 tablespoons (210g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup (50g) sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Topping:
about ½ cup honey

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Mix all the filling ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add sugar.
In a wide-mouthed measuring cup, whisk the egg, melted butter and buttermilk. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Mix lightly and gently, remembering to keep it bumpy – I used a fork to mix it.
Fill the cups 1/3 full, add a scant tablespoon of filling, then cover with more muffin batter until 2/3 full.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a rack. Drizzle with honey.

Makes 12 – each well in my muffin pan holds 1/3 cup batter and I got 11 muffins