Carrot cake

Hey there... we are all sick in my house and to entertain a sick child I decided to make a cake.Lately I really like involving my little chef in my cooking. He seams to enjoy it as well!
So, lets see.... Let it be a Carrot Cake. Simple, healthy, with its moist texture and unforgettable taste I hope it is going to be a success!

INGREDIENTS:
8 servings

3 eggs
1,5 glass of Sugar (brown is even better)
1 glass of vegetable oil ( sunflower, corn, mixed...)
2 glasses of flour
2 spoons of cinnamon
1 tea spoon of baking soda
0,5 tea spoon of salt
5 large carrots
handful of nut kernels


Something new that I am pleased to offer to my followers. I got a little hint from a dear person and the hint's about some household economy. If you find yourself on this page it means you like coking and moreover you like food. We also all like dining out as we might think the real chef will cook better that us. It's true! I am not going to foolish anyone. BUT !!! It's also true that the bill we get in the restaurant is not something we spend in supermarket buying simple ingredients. It's not very easy to calculate the price of the food we cook as my supermarket may sell it's products cheaper than you have round the corner but nevertheless I will try. Said that, this is what I spent for the cake...

 to be continued....


Some comments to add:
1. Sugar: I usually use brown sugar for this type of cake, the colour is not going to be changed as the cake comes out to be brown and the taste differs slightly to somehow more exotic.
2. Oil: I usually use the one we have here in Italy that is used actually for frying and it's a mixed vegetable oil. If it can be of a help it's called Friol.

1. Grind carrots. I usually do half with a large grinder and the other half with a small one. You will see it yourself that this way the little bits of carrots will be still visible in the slice of our cake without making the dough too heavy.

2. Use a mixer to beat the eggs with sugar to a whitish foam, so, for about 5 minutes.
3.  Add oil and mix carefully.




 4. In a separate bowl mix together the flour with the other powders: salt, baking soda and cinnamon. This is done to distribute the small amounts of salt, soda and cinnamon carefully in the cake mixture.
5. Add flour to the eggs and mix it quickly not to destroy the little air bubbles created while beating eggs.







6. Add carrots and nuts to the dough and mix it all together with a spoon.

 7. Use a 22-24 cm baking pan: I have the one that can be open so gets easier to take the cake out when it's ready. So line the bottom with parchment paper and pour the cake dough into it.
8. Bake at 200C for about 40 minutes. I always try if the cake is ready pricking it with a tooth stick. It should come out absolutely dry with just tiny crumbles if any...
Little secret: if you notice your cake is getting too brown on the top when the time is still running, you may cover the pan with a sheet of parchment paper and it will protect the cake from being burnt on the top.

9. Let the cake cool down and remove it carefully from the pan turning it over a dish.
10. Remove the paper and let the cake sit some more. The classic Carrot Cake needs frosting, this time I skipped it and just sifted some sugar on top. Less calories at least but the taste is just lush...

Enjoy the sweet temptation!

Lemon Mousse Cake

This cake looks like a cheesecake but it is not!!! It's a fluffy lemon mousse cake. And this time it is My Birthday Cake!!! Happy birthday to me....
This cake is really light and is not very sweet. It is a great dessert after a sumptuous meal, it is also very good in summer time because of it's fresh and a bit soury taste. 
The preparation may seem  complicates but the only difficulty you may encounter is to whip different ingredients apart and mix them together afterwards.     

  

INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 8

3 eggs
90g sugar
90g flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Mousse:
2 eggs
100g sugar
1.5 lemons
5g gelatin (2.5 sheets)
250g whipping cream

1. Whip 3 eggs with 90g of sugar (6tbs) for 10 minutes: 3-4 minutes at high speed to create the volume and 6-7 minutes more at a very low speed to fix the bubbles. 

2. Sift the flour together with baking powder.
3. Mix the flour into the egg with a hand whisk paying attention to make the movements from the bottom to the top. 
Note: Be careful not to mix for too long as it will break the bubbles and the cake won't come out soft and airy.
4. Pour the cake carefully into a 22-23 cm mould and bake the cake at 180C for 20 minutes.

5. Switch the oven off and keep the cake for about 10-15 minutes in the oven with the door slightly open.
6. Take the cake out of the mould and and let it cool down completely over the cake rack.
7. Cut the cake with the steel ring to about 21cm in diametre.  

8. Prepare the syrup with 50ml of water, 1tbs of sugar and some liqueur, better Limoncello or at least Rum. 
Note: You may melt the sugar in hot water or just heat it in the microwave oven.
9. Using a special cake squeeze bottle, pour the syrup over the cake to moist it.
10. In a small bowl soak the gelatin for about 10 minutes.   

11. Divide eggs into yolks and whites.

12. Whip the whites with half of the sugar (50g) and the yolks with the rest of it in separate bowls.

 

13. Whip the cream to thick foam.

14. Grate the yellow part of 2 lemons' peel.
Note:The white part of the lemon skin is bitter, don't use it.
15. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons.

16. Add lemon peel and lemon juice to the yolks.

17. Mix the three whipped ingredients together using a hand whisk, try to do it very carefully not to break the bubbles.

18. Squeeze gelatin to remove the excess of water and melt it in the microwave oven for about 20 seconds.
Note: You may also melt gelatin in a double boiler.  

19. Add gelatin to the mousse and stir well.

20. Insert the cake into the cake ring over a nice dish and pour the foamy mousse over it.

21. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or better overnight.


22. Make a neat cut round the ring and open the ring.
23. Decorate the cake as you like it, better with some lemon slices to recall to the taste of the dessert.
Note: You may use the borders of the cake that you cut off: crumble them and decorate the cake's border.
       

    

ENJOY!!!

Koulìtch - Russian Easter Cake

It's Orthodox Easter today.... but I am a bit late with the preparations. Nevertheless, Christ is Risen!!! He is risen indeed! These are words the orthodox say on the day.
So, today's recipe is a tribute to this wonderful orthodox festivity. My mom baked it, my granny did and my great grandmother as well.... I think even her mother did but I don't have any evidence of the ancestors before 1900 :-) 
The cake, as the tradition requires, should be very high with white frosting and two letters written on top: XB - that is in cyrillic and these are the first letters from "Christ (is) Risen".
Kulitch is eaten during the family feast and can be brought as a present along with the coloured eggs to your nearest and dearest.
Be prepared as you will need a lot of time to prepare this cake though the whole process is not that difficult... 
      

INGREDIENTS: 
Servings: ~10

650g flour
4 eggs
250ml (1.25glass) milk
8g dry yeast (30-35g fresh yeast)
1 glass sugar
125-150g butter
vanillin
1pinch of salt
raisins
almonds (optional)
Frosting:
100g confectioner's sugar 
1/2 egg white
1tbs lemon juice 




Note.Keep all the ingredients at room temperature

1. Sift 250g of flour and mix the dry yeast in it. 
2. Add 1 tbs of sugar to "feed" the yeast.
3. Heat the milk till it's warm and if you try the temperature with a finger, you have to feel comfortable.
Note: If you use the fresh yeast, melt it in the warm milk. 

4. Mix flour and milk together (the yeast is already in) with a whisk in a big saucepan.
5. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen cloth and keep the first dough in warm place for 1-1.5 hour to activate the yeast.
Note: If the room temperature is a bit cold you may heat a hot water bottle to a nice warm temperature and put it under the pan. Careful, don't use the water that is too hot, as in this case the yeast will just "die"...

6. Separate egg yolks and whites.

7. Beat the egg yolks with sugar in which you have mixed in vanillin till they become foamy and whitish.
 8. Add butter that you cut into small pieces to the yolks. Beat everything again to mix well and incorporate more air.

9. Add the butter mix to the first dough and mix carefully.

10. Whisk the egg whites with a mixer till they form white peaks.

11. Add egg whites to the dough and mix carefully.

12. Sift the rest of the flour and add it little by little to the dough.
13. Cover the pan with a cloth and keep the dough aside for minimum 2 hours to raise. The dough should raise about three time it's volume.
Note: I prepared the dough late in the evening and let it raise for the whole night, I woke up then at 6 o'clock to start cooking.... 
And I'm sorry.. I was too sleepy at 6 o'clock in the morning and so I missed the photo of the raised dough....
14. When the dough has raised mix in the raisins carefully, be sure you don't remove all the precious air that the dough produced so hardly. 

15. Distribute the dough in the high paper moulds or other moulds you have, it's important the moulds are high...
Note: The dough should fill in one third of the mould in order for it to raise again.  

16. Let the dough raise again for about 1-1.5 hour.
17. Heat the oven to 175C.
18. Bake the cakes in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes on a lower rack till the cake browns it's top....

19. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool them down.

20. Prepare the frosting: whisk the confectioner's sugar with a half of an egg white and lemon juice to create a thick but elastic frosting.

21. Spread the frosting over the cakes with rotating movements.

22. Using the roasted almonds or the raisins write the letters XB. 
Note: This is only for the orthodox... if you are not or you don't like having an orthodox symbols on your cake you may leave the cake just with the frosting or decorate it as you like it!     

Христос Воскрес!!!

            Christ is risen!!!            

 

   

Green Nama Chocolates Matcha Flavour

To my taste, Matcha green tea is highly addictive.... Try it once and you will never forget the taste even if the first experience leaves you doubtful whether you like it or not.... This is what happened to me: it was in Japan that I first tried Matcha flavour ice-cream. It was bitter and I expected the ice-cream to be sweet but there was something in the taste that left my senses awaken. 
Then I started noticing: Matcha biscuits... Matcha chocolates... Matcha candies... even Matcha KitKat ! It looked like Japanese were obsessed with the taste, so I studied the matter in deep and tasted more...  

I even researched a bit and discovered that Matcha boosts your metabolism, reduces the cholesterol level, contains loads of antioxidants and produces the same effect coffee does but that lasts longer.... 
So this aromatic green powder is even good for health!! WOW!!! And finally, after some browsing through the ethnic grocery shops, I found my first Matcha green tea powder.  
Matcha has wonderfully bright green colour and very particular flavour. This very tea powder is generally used for the famous tea ceremony....
    
 
INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 24 chocolates

300g white chocolate
100ml thick cream
35g butter
2tbs Matcha powder +1tbs for sifting over




1. Prepare a pan for double boiling, but pour just a bit of water as you won't use it for long.

2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put it in a heat-resistant bowl or a small saucepan.

3. Heat the cream till it's almost boiling in the microwave or anyhow, be careful it doesn't boil. 
4. Add the hot cream and butter to the chopped chocolate, stir well with a silicon / plastic spatula till the chocolate melts completely.

5. Put the bowl with the chocolate over the double boiler and stir constantly. 
Note: If the chocolate starts splitting take it off the heat and put on a cool surface. Stir constantly...   

6. When the chocolate is completely melted, sift 2 tbs of Matcha powder in the chocolate mix. Stir well ...

This is how the Matcha tea powder will colour the white chocolate.

7. Dress the inner side of a 10x18 cm container with the plastic film.
8. Pour the chocolate mix in the container and level it well.
9. Refrigerate the chocolate for a couple of hours.

10. Using a warm knife make neat cuts in order to have 24 square chocolates.
Note: You may leave the hot tap water running and after each and every cut warm the knife and don't forget to dry it with a paper towel (or any towel).  

11. Sift 1 tbs of Matcha powder over the chocolates, turn them upside down with a use of a wide knife and sift Matcha again.
12. As all Royce' Nama chocolates are presented in a paper box, I also packed mine in a nice paper box. 

ITADAKIMASU !!!