Daring Bakers - Kolaches

The September Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Lucie from ChezLucie. She challenged us to make a true Czech treat –Kolaches!

I chose the Moravian Kolaches and loved. They are super yummy and look good too. A wonderful option for tea.
I suppose that quark is a kind of cheese we call in Portugal "requeijão", similar to cottage cheese but decided to use mascarpone (a life saver for me) and blueberry jam. Highly recommended recipe. Thanks!

This time I even had a helper, as I wished for some time ago.

Dvojctihodné / Moravské koláče (Two fillings / Moravian Kolaches)

Ingredients
for dough
3-2/3 cup (880 ml) (17-2/3 oz) (500 gm) all-purpose (plain) flour (use semi-coarse grounded if you can find in your store)
¾ cup (180 ml) (3½ oz) (100 gm) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) milk, warm
1/3 cup (80 ml) (2-2/3 oz) (75 gm) butter, melted
30 gm (1 oz) fresh yeast or 2 packets (4 teaspoons) (½ oz) (15 gm) active day yeast
pinch of salt
2 small egg yolks

for quark filling
3 cups (1-2/3 lb) (750 gm) quark  (I used mascarpone cheese)
1 small egg yolk (not used the egg)
confectioner’s (icing) sugar to taste

for plum filling
2/3 cup (160 ml) (7 oz) (200 gm) plum jam (used blueberry jam)
rum or hot water to soften jam if too thick

for streusel topping
1/3 cup (1¾ oz) (50 gm) plain flour
¼ cup (60 ml) (1¾ oz) (50 gm) butter, chilled and diced
¼ cup (60 ml) (1¾ oz) (50 gm) caster (or granulated) sugar
(in fact I don’t know the exact amount I used because I always make larger batch and store it in the freezer)
for finish
1 egg

Directions:
In a bowl mix together yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) warm milk, mix well and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 – 15 minutes.
In a bowl of your electric mixer (or in a large bowl) mix flour, sugar, salt, egg yolks, butter, milk and leavened yeast. Knead with dough hook (or with wooden spoon) on low speed for about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about one hour to double its volume.
Meanwhile prepare quark filling – just mix all ingredients – and plum filling – mix plum jam with rum or water to soften it. Set aside.
Prepare streusel topping. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add cold butter diced in small cubes and with your fingers, mix all ingredients until crumbly. You can also use my mum’s trick – in a saucepan melt the butter, add flour and sugar at once and mix with fork until crumbly. Set aside.
When the dough is risen turn it onto a lightly floured surface and roll it with rolling pin to a thickness of about 2 cm (¾ inch). Cut with 10cm (4 inch) cookie cutter or just with a glass (if you want small kolaches) or divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (if you want large kolaches). Splat each piece with your hands and fill with quark filling. Wrap it into a “purse” shape.

 

Preheat oven to moderate 340°F/170°C/gas mark 3. Line 2 – 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put each kolach onto a prepared baking sheet with seam down. Press each kolach in the middle as you can see on the picture below. Brush it with egg wash and fill holes with plum filling. Sprinkle it with streusel topping. Bake for about 20 minutes to golden brown.

 

 

Daring Bakers - Surprise Cake

For the July Daring Baker’s Challenge, Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to bake a cake. But not just any cake; she asked us to add in a special surprise for our eyes as well as our taste buds!

I decided to bake a cake to celebrate my daughter's 4 months old. I chose cupcakes with a heart inside.

First, I wanted a pink cake but without food coloring. Found a good recipe on Pinterest (check recipe below).

Then, I used half of the recipe for strawberry cake and baked one.

Afterwards, I used a heart shaped cookie cutter and prepared several hearts.

Then, I chose a basic vanilla cupcake recipe (check below) and assembled the dough with the hearts.Baked it and voilá!

I loved doing it and I'm sure that I'm going to try other surprise cakes. My husband already gave me a new idea.

Daring Bakers - Pão de Queijo

This month's Daring Bakers' Challenge took us on a trip to beautiful Brazil! Renata of "Testado, Provado & Aprovado!" taught us how to make Pao De Queijo, tasty cheese buns that make the perfect snack or treat, and that will make your taste buds samba!

This challenge is very special to me.The host, Renata, is someone very nice, whom I contacted some time ago to ask for permission to use a wonderful step by step of a recipe in Portuguese (her blog is a must read).  I had also the privilege of having her very kind comments on some of my posts.

Besides that, the challenge itself is a return to Brazil, the birth country of  my mother, and where I've been on three occasions.

Sometimes it occurred to me that it would be nice baking pão de queijo, but I never did, until now!

Didn't try the original recipe, just the fake one because I wasn't able to find tapioca starch. However, the alternative is quite good and was a success. Thanks Renata!

“FAKE” PÃO DE QUEIJO
Servings:
Yields about 15 small balls

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons PLUS 1 teaspoon (50ml) milk
3 tablespoons (45ml) water
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (1/2 oz) (15 gm) butter
2/3 cup (160 ml) (3-1/2 oz) (100 gm) potato starch (I had to use a bit more to form the balls)
1/2 tsp (3 gm) baking powder
salt to taste
1/2 cup (125 ml) (1-2/3 oz) (50 gm) grated cheese (I used Queijo da Ilha - one of the best in Portugal, from  São Jorge Island, in the Azores)
1 large egg

Directions:

• The method for these is the same as for Traditional Pão de Queijo.
• Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4
• Boil the milk, water and butter together.
• In a bowl, sieve the starch, salt and baking powder.
• Pour the hot milk mixture over the starch and stir. It will be lumpy.
• Add the egg and cheese, stir until well combined.[I had to add a bit more starch to make the balls]
• Make little balls with lightly oiled hands and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350°F/180°C/gas mark 4) until lightly golden, for about 20 minutes.
• Serve warm.

Daring Bakers - Nougat

The March 2014 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Rebecca of BakeNQuilt. She challenged us to learn to make classic nougat and to make it our own with our choice of flavors and add-ins.

I decided to keep it simple but was very glad to complete this one too, since my baby wasn´t born by the time I did it.
Now she is already beside me and I´m sure she'll be a partner of many challenges.

I couldn't find some of the ingredients such as corn syrup, edible paper, cream of tartar, cocoa butter, but still insisted in giving it a chance and it worked, but it has to be stored in the fridge and eaten right away.
Next time I'll buy those missing ingredients online and prepare a true nougat. Thanks for the challenge!

Nougat Torrone:

Recipe Source: Chocolates and Confections by Peter P. Greweling
Servings: one 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) slab
Prep time: approximately 45 minutes
Cook time: approximately 30-45 minutes
Cool time: approximately 45 minutes

Ingredients

4 sheets edible wafer paper, 8x11 inches (20x28 cm) (optional, see Recipe Notes)

For the Meringue:

2 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) (50 gm) (1¾ oz) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (3 gm) cream of tartar

For the Syrup:

1½ cups (360 ml) (500 gm) (18 oz) honey (preferably light in color and flavor) [used a bit more to compensate the lack of corn syrup]
3 cups (720 ml) (600 gm) (21 oz) granulated sugar
½ cup (120 ml) (170 gm) (6 oz) light corn syrup
½ cup (120 ml) water
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Add-ins:

2 tablespoons (30 ml) (25 gm) (1 oz) cocoa butter, melted [used butter]
5 cups (1.2 litre) (680 gm) (24 oz) toasted whole unblanched almonds

Recipe Notes:

Edible wafer paper is nice to have if you’re giving nougat as gifts as it helps with the stickiness issue. However, it’s not essential. If you can’t find it, grease the pan and then line it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment as well. You should probably wrap each cut piece individually to keep them from sticking together. [my option was to use the parchment paper and wrap each piece individually].
Fat (cocoa butter in this case) is added to nougat to give it a shorter texture and cleaner bite. I’ve tried the recipe without it and it still comes out tasting good, it’s just chewier. Any fat added to nougat should be one that is solid at room temperature.

Directions:

1. Place the toasted almonds in a heat safe bowl and put in an oven at 250°F/121°C until needed.
2. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) pan with wafer paper, cutting it to fit. I like to put plastic wrap or parchment under the wafer paper just for extra insurance that I’ll be able to get the nougat out of the pan.
3. Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar for the meringue in a 4.5 or 5 quart (about 5 litre) mixer bowl fitted with a whip attachment but do not begin whipping.
4. Heat the honey in a small saucepan or in the microwave until nearly boiling
5. Combine the remaining ingredients for the syrup (sugar, corn syrup, water and vanilla bean) in a 2 quart (2 litre) saucepan.
6. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and boil for 3 minutes, covered.
7. Remove the lid and attach the candy thermometer. Continue to cook uncovered on high heat without stirring until the syrup reaches 290°F/143°C.
8. When the sugar mixture reaches 290°F/143°C, start whipping the egg whites on high speed and move the sugar mixture off the heat and slowly pour the heated honey into the sugar mixture. The mixture will foam up initially.
9. Put the pan back on the heat and continue cooking until the mixture again reaches 290°F/143°C.
10. Remove from the heat and use tongs to take out the vanilla bean pods.
11. Slowly pour the hot syrup into the whipping whites by letting it run down the inside of the mixer bowl. Don’t pour it directly on the whites or they may collapse.
12. Whip on high speed for 3 minutes.
13. Add the cocoa butter and whip JUST until the mixture is smooth again. Do not over mix. If you have a 4.5 quart (4.5 litre) mixer like I do, you may need to initially lower the speed of the mixer while pouring in the cocoa butter as it will try to slop out.
14. Remove the bowl from the mixer and dump in the hot nuts from the oven. Mix quickly with a heat-safe spatula until the almonds are evenly distributed.
15. Immediately pour the hot nougat into the prepared pan, on top of the wafer paper. Cover the top of the nougat with more wafer paper and press to smooth and even out the nougat.

16. Let the nougat cool at room temperature until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes. Don’t let it go too long or it will be very difficult to get out of the pan and difficult to cut. You want it to still be a little flexible when you remove it but not so soft that it loses its shape.
17. Pry the nougat out of the pan with a spatula and dump it out onto a cutting board. Trim the edges and cut the nougat with an oiled knife into the size pieces you want.

18. Wrap the nougat individually or store at room temperature in an airtight container. The texture of the nougat will soften a bit after a few days, especially if you have added dried fruits in with the nuts.

Daring Bakers Beautiful Bread

Beauty surrounded the Daring Bakers this month as our host, Sawsan, of chef in disguise, challenged us to make beautiful, filled breads. Who knew breads could look as great as they taste?

I chose the cinnamon sweet bread and it is beautiful and delicious.
The only thing I didn't do was to drizzle with condensed milk (I'm pregnant and I don't need the extra calories, but I would drizzle). It is wonderful to eat with tea and hot milk for breakfast. Next time I'll bake it and try to freeze some slices, for a rainy day ;)

Thanks for the challenge!!!

Check out some other bread shapes ideas and tutorials below. Have fun!

Cinnamon sweet bread:

Ingredients

For the dough

1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water
3/4 cup (180 ml) warm milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup (60 ml) (60 gm) (2 oz) butter, softened
1/4 cup (60 ml) (50 gm) (1-3/4 oz) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon (3 gm) salt
3-1/4 cups (780 ml) (450 gm) (16 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, approximately
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (8 gm) dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon (1 gm) cardamom, optional

For topping

1/4 cup (60 ml) of milk
1 tablespoon (15 gm) (1/2 oz) sugar

Between the layers

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) (1/4 cup) (60 ml) (60 gm) (2 oz) butter
4 tablespoons (60 ml) (25 gm) (1 oz) cinnamon
1/2 cup (120 ml) (100 gm) (3-1/2 oz) sugar

For drizzling

1 can (400 gm) (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. In a bowl whisk the egg with milk, water, sugar, butter and yeast. Set aside
2. In another bowl sift the flour with the salt and the optional cardamom.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and knead until you get a smooth dough.
Note: This recipe requires between 3-1/4 and 3-1/2 cups of flour depending on the weather, humidity and the flour brand. Start with 3-1/4 cups and if you feel that the dough is too soft, add the extra 1/4 cup
4. Place the dough in a bowl you have brushed with some oil and cover it with a wet cloth and leave it in a warm place to double
(If you are tight on time you can heat your oven to 390°F/200°C then turn it off and place your dough in a glass bowl and place it in the warm oven with the wet cloth covering the bowl)
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface
6. Divide the dough into 4 parts
7. Roll each part into a circle at least 20 cm (8 inch) in diameter

8. Brush the first layer with butter then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon
9. Place the second layer on the first layer repeat the brushing and sprinkling and then do the same with the third layer.
10. Top with the fourth layer, this time only brush it with butter.
11. Using a knife make cuts that divide the dough circles into 8 triangles

12. Make cuts that go 2/3 of the way in the middle of each triangle. The cuts should not reach the base of the triangle nor the tip as you can see in the picture

13. Take the tip of each triangle and insert it into the cut you made and pull it from the underside

14. Arrange the triangles on your baking sheet

15. Pinch the two angles at the base of the triangle together

Note: If you would like to add the little bread coil that you see in the center of the baked cinnamon bread in the first picture, simply roll a piece of dough into a rope then form it into a little coil and place it in the center where the heads of the triangles meet

16. Brush the dough with milk
17. Allow to rest for 15 minutes during which you would heat your oven to very hot 500°F/240°C/gas mark 9 (rack in the middle). (Go for the hottest your oven will do).
18. Bake for 5 minutes on very hot 460°F/240°C/gas mark 9, then lower the temperature to moderately hot 390°F/200°C/gas mark 6 and bake for 15-20 more minutes

Note: ovens do differ greatly, so the time may differ,what you want is to bake it until the under side is golden brown and the bread is baked all the way to the center. If the top of the bread is not golden brown by that time and you have a broiler (grill) in your oven. Turn on the broiler (grill) for a couple of minutes until the bread is golden brown on top. If on the other hand the top is getting too dark, consider lowering the oven temperature and covering the top of the bread with foil to stop it from over browning

19. Take it out of the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rick and drizzle with sweetened condensed milk while it is still warm.

Daring Bakers - Baumkuchen (Tree Cake)

The January 2014 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Francijn of "Koken in de Brouwerij". She challenged us all to bake layered cakes in the tradition of Baumkuchen (tree cake) and Schichttorte (layered cake).

I was delighted with the recipe. It is delicious!

Baumkuchen (Tree Cake)

Ingredients

Batter:

6 large eggs (room temperature)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 ml) (4-1/4 oz) (120 gm) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) (5-1/3 oz) (150 gm) marzipan
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons (1-3/4 sticks) (7 oz) (200 gm) softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup (180 ml) (3-1/2 oz) (100 gm) confectioner's (icing) sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (1 package) (8 grams) vanilla sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) (3-1/2 oz) (100 gm) all-purpose (plain) flour (sifted)

Glaze:
1/3 cup (80 ml) (3½ oz) (100 gm) apricot jam
2 tablespoons (30 ml) orange liqueur (optional)
1 cup (240 ml) (7 oz) (200 gm) dark chocolate couverture chunks
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure coconut oil

oil to grease your pan
parchment paper
10-inch (25 cm) spring form pan / 8x10 inch (20x25 cm) cake tin

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to hot 450°F/230°C/gas mark 8.
2. Line your cake tin with parchment paper, grease both paper and tin.
3. Divide the eggs. Beat the egg whites with the salt until nearly stiff, add the sugar and beat until really stiff.
4. Crumble finely the marzipan. Beat it with the softened butter, confectioner's (icing) sugar and vanilla sugar until soft and creamy. Add the egg yolks one by one and beat well between each addition. Add the stiff egg whites and flour and gently fold it into the batter. Trying not to lose too much air.

I had to prepare my own marzipan - not available at the supermarket (so used a recipe form BBC Food) and made 1/2 de amount and it was more than enough (so you can do 1/4).

5. Smear 1/12th to 1/10th of the batter on the bottom of the pan, keep the sides of the pan clean, and bake for (about) 4 minutes in the oven, until it is cooked and brown. Take the pan out of the oven, smear the next portion of batter carefully over the first, and bake for another 4 minutes or until cooked and brown. Repeat until all batter is used. If you need to flatten a bubble insert a tooth pick or similar to deflate the bubble.

I divided the batter in two and added some cocoa powder to one and baked alternate layers. I have also decided to put a layer of apricot jam for each 2 layers of cake. 

Let the cake cool down for a few minutes, take it out of the pan, remove the parchment paper and let the cake cool completely on a wired rack. Trim the edges.

6. Heat the jam a little, pass it through a sieve, and add the orange liqueur (optional). Cover the cake with the jam and let it cool.

7. Melt the couverture with the coconut oil in a bowl above warm water. Pour it over the cake to cover completely, move the cake to a cool place and wait until the glaze is dry.

Freezing and storage : The tree cake tastes better when you wait one day before eating it. Eat within a week. Store in an airtight container, but not in the fridge. Freezing is possible: cut into portions, wrap tightly in cling film and freeze up to two months.

Daring Bakers - Sfogliatelle

Sandie of the lovely blog, Crumbs of Love, was our November hostess. Sandie challenged us to make a traditional Italian dessert, along with its American version – Sfogliatelle (or better known in the US – lobster tails!) The flakey, 1000 layers of super thin dough, shaped into a horn and filled with a scrumptious filling. Così buono!

I wasn't able to make the ricotta cheese and tried for the first time to make candied orange peel. It didn't come out as I was hoping but I'll give it another try someday.

For the filling I used mascarpone with some caster sugar and lemon zest, but in the oven it melted and spread out of the pastry. Then the best option was a store bought gianduia which was a beautiful and tasty combination for this dough.

My version of this recipe needs improving but I loved to bake it. Thanks!!

Sfogliatelle Frolle
Servings: 12 pastries
This is a tender pastries, made with dough similar to pie crust |(and much easier to make). Some of my friends preferred these to the crispy sfogliatelle.
Dough
2 1/3 cups (560 ml) (11-1/2 oz) (325 gm) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/3 cup (80 ml) (2-2/3 oz)(75 gm) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon (3/4 gm) salt
8 tablespoons (4 oz) (115 gm) unsalted butter, cold
2 large eggs, beaten

Filling
You can use the Semolina-Ricotta Filling (below)
I used store bought gianduia (mixture of chocolate and hazelnut cream)

Egg Wash
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg
pinch salt

1. By hand: combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Remove the butter from the fridge and pound it a few times with a rolling pin to make it pliable. Add it to the flour and start rubbing it into the flour mixture with your fingertips, working from the bottom of the bowl upwards. Work quickly so the butter doesn't get warm from your hands. This only takes a minute or two to complete. Add the eggs and stir into the dough with a fork until it starts to hold together. Empty it out onto your workspace and knead it a few times. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill until firm. The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance.
2. Prepare the filling and chill it. Whisk the egg yolk, egg and salt together for the egg wash.
3. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into 5 inch (12-1/2 cm) rectangle . Place a hefty tablespoon amount of filling on the lower half of the dough and pull the top half over this. Use your hands to press down around the filling and seal the edges together (like making ravioli). Use a 3 inch (75 mm) round cookie cutter (or glass) and cut away any excess dough. 
4. Place the formed frolle on a prepared baking sheet and chill for 2 hours
5. Preheat your oven to moderately hot 375°F/190°C/gas mark 5
6. Brush the frolle with the egg wash and bake approximately 20 minutes, just until the frolle are baked through.
7. Cool briefly on a rack.

Fresh Ricotta Cheese (makes 2 cups) (another option for filling)

Ingredients:

8 cups (2 litres) whole milk (or goats milk)
1 cup (250 ml) heavy whipping cream (about 35%)
1/2 teaspoon (3 gm) salt
3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
1. Line a large colander or strainer with 2 layers of lightly dampened cheesecloth over a large glass; set aside.
2. Pour the whole milk, heavy cream and salt into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Reduce the heat, add the fresh lemon juice and stir/whisk continuously for 2-3 minutes. The mixture will curdle, which is exactly what you want it to do. Pour this into the cheesecloth lined strainer and let it drain for about 1 hour or until it comes to room temperature. At this point you can scrape the ricotta from the cheesecloth into a container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
3. The liquid in the bowl is the whey, a very nutritious and tasty leftover byproduct from making cheese. It is excellent to use instead of water when baking bread, or added to soup stock. I love the stuff and never discard it.

Semolina-Ricotta Filling
This recipe is used for both the Ricci and the Frolle versions
Ingredients
1 cup (250 ml) milk
1/2 cup (120 ml) (4 oz) (115 gm) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) (4 oz) (115 gm) fine semolina or cream of wheat (I have tried both and personally like the semolina version)
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) (13-1/4 oz) (375 gm) whole milk ricotta, preferably fresh (see above)
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract (or the seeds of one pod and 1 teaspoon of extract)
1/4 teaspoon (1 gm) ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (80 ml) (2 oz) (60 gm) candied orange peel (commercial or home-made)
zest of 1 lemon
Combine the milk and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and slowly add the semolina (or cream of wheat), whisking quickly as to avoid any lumps. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Spread the mixture onto a lined baking sheet, about 1/2 inch (15 mm), to cool. When cool, break into pieces and place into the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or a food processor), and add the ricotta cheese, egg yolks, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat until very smooth and creamy. Stir in the candied orange peel and lemon zest. (Maybe even some mini chocolate chips? Or pistachios?? mmmm...I can't wait to see what you come up with)
Scrape into a container, place plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until needed (up to 3 days).

Candied Orange Peel

1.  Cut your peel into thin strips
2. Submerge in a pot of cold water.
3. Bring to a boil
4. Strain and repeat steps two and three two more times times. You will have boiled the peel in fresh, cold water a total of three times. Taste a small piece. If it still tastes overly bitter, boil it one more time. A total of three times is usually enough but every once in a while you need to do an extra boil.
5.  Put  equal amounts fresh water and granulated sugar into your pot. The amount will depend on how much peel you are making. When I make the peel of 2 oranges, I use 1 1/2 c water to 1 1/2 c sugar. You really just want to make sure that the peel is fully submerged. Bring it back up to a boil,  lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 45 minutes. Drain* and lay out your peel in a single layer on a cooling rack to dry. After about 2 hours you can gently toss the pieces in some more granulated sugar, if you wish.
You are now done! At this point you can finely chop the peel for bread or cookies, or dip the slices into bittersweet chocolate as a hostess gift the next time you are invited to someones house for dinner. Or, as a gift to yourself.
* You can save the sugar syrup. Cool it , then store in the fridge and use as a simple syrup for various cocktails.

Daring Bakers - Swedish Prinsesstårta

Korena of Korena in the Kitchen was our May Daring Bakers’ host and she delighted us with this beautiful Swedish Prinsesstårta!

This challenge was amazing and I loved it. I tried to create a lighter version of the original, so I used a sponge cake recipe from The Art of French Baking; prepared a kind of strawberry jam and also a chocolate cream. Although marzipan would be the best top, I used sugarpaste and tried to create roses, which came out nice.
I was not able to make all the right layers because the cake was not that big and I couldn't cut in 3. Below I have the recipes and my layer scheme.

Swedish Prinsesstårta

Savoy Sponge Cake
from The Art of French Baking 

4 eggs, separated
200g (7oz) caster sugar
100g (3 1/2 oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
or grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 180º/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 and grease a 20cm cake tin with butter. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks in a separate bowl, use an electric whisk to beat the sugar and egg yolks until pale and foamy, about 5 minutes. Fold in the flour and vanilla or lemon, followed by the egg whites. Pour into the cake tin, level the surface and bake for 20 minutes.

It is supposed to cut the cake in 3, but it was too small to do it. I cut in 2 and missed the middle cake layer. Here is my layer scheme:

The missing cake layer was supposed to be between the chocolate cream and the whipped cream.

Strawberry Jam (more a sauce)

200g strawberries

water

sugar to taste

Purée the strawberries with some water and put it in a pan on medium heat. Add some sugar and let it thicken. Let it cool before using.

Chocolate Cream

200ml whipping cream

Dark chocolate powder to taste

Icing sugar to taste

Beat the cream and gradually add the chocolate and the sugar. Put it in the fridge before using.

The Swedish Prinsesstårta assembly was according to the picture above and the covered in sugarpaste colored with some drops of yellow and blue food coloring.

Then, for the first time, I tried to make roses out of sugarpaste and they came out as you can see below.

I saw some tutorials and it helped a lot.

Check this one, it is made with a different dough, but is the same technique that I used.

I forgot to tell about the whipped cream layer, maybe because it is obvious:

200ml whipping cream
icing sugar to taste
almond extract (some drops)

I used almond flavor in the cream to make the cake taste like it had marzipan, and it worked! My hubby thought that I was using marzipan, poor one. But then I told him the truth, of course. :)

This cake is very light and the whole combination is heaven.

Daring Bakers - Savarin

Natalia of Gatti Fili e Farina challenges us to make a traditional Savarin, complete with soaking syrup and cream filling! We were to follow the Savarin recipe but were allowed to be creative with the soaking syrup and filling, allowing us to come up with some very delicious cakes!

I decided to bake half recipe because the pan I had was small. For the syrup I wanted to create something like a mojito, using rum, lime, muscovado sugar, water and mint. And so  I did, but I should have left the water cool before puting the mint, because the flavor came differently from what I expected. It had not the fresh lime and rum flavour, but it was good anyway. This recipe is quite interesting and yummy. I'll try it again with a different syrup. Thanks!

Savarin

Servings: 8/10
Ingredients [for a bigger pan than mine, I baked half]

2½ cups (600 ml) (12-1/3 oz) (350 gm) bread flour
2 tablespoons (30 ml) water, lukewarm
6 (320 gm) large eggs at room temperature, separated
½ satchel (1½ teaspoons) (4 gm) instant yeast or 15 gm (½ oz) fresh yeast
4 teaspoons (20 ml) (20 gm) sugar
2/3 stick (1/3 cup) (80 ml) (75 gm) butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) orange and lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
¼ cup (60 ml) (2 oz) (55 gm) butter for greasing the work surface, hands, dough scraper & baking pan


 


Directions:
Sponge
In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lukewarm water, 3 tablespoons (1 oz) (25 gm) flour and yeast , cover with cling film and let rise 60 minutes

Dough
1.After 30 minutes put the egg whites in the mixer bowl and start working with the paddle at low speed adding flour until you have a soft dough that sticks to the bowl (about 2 cups or 270 gm) and work until it comes together , cover with cling film and let rest 30 min

2.Add the sponge to the mixer bowl along with a tablespoon of flour and start mixing at low speed (if you wish to add the zests do it now)

3.When it starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl add one yolk and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour

4.Add the second yolk , the sugar and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour

5.Raise the speed a little
6.Add the third yolk and the salt and as soon as the yolk is absorbed add one tablespoon of flour
7.Keep on adding one yolk at the time and the flour saving a tablespoon of flour for later
8.Mix the dough until is elastic and makes threads

9.Add the butter at room temperature and as soon as the butter is adsorbed add the last tablespoon of flour

10.Keep on mixing till the dough passes the window pane test

11.Cover the dough with cling film and let it proof until it has tripled in volume 2 to 3 hours.

12.You can prepare the Pastry cream now if you chose to use it, and refrigerate it
13.While you wait prepare your baking pan buttering it very carefully not leaving too much butter on it

14.Grease your dough scraper, your hands and your work surface and put the dough on it and fold with the Dough Package Fold two or three times around (5 folds twice or three times). Cover with cling foil and let it rest 15 minutes on the counter

15.Turn the dough upside down and with the help of your buttered dough scraper shape your dough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta2_h6Qogp0 in a rounded bun

16.Make a hole in the center with your thumb and put it in the prepared pan

17. Cover with cling film and let rise in a warm spot until the dough reaches the top of the pan about 1 hour

18.Pre-heat oven to moderate 340°F/170°C/gas mark 3
19.Bake the Savarin for about 40 minutes until the top is golden brown

20.Meanwhile prepare the Syrup (I prepared a syrup with muscovado sugar, water, lime juice and mint, but it needs to be improved)
21.When the Savarin is done take it out of the oven, let it cool and remove carefully out of the pan
22.You have two choices now : you can immerse it in syrup right now or you can let it dry out (so it will lose some of his moisture that will be replaced by the syrup) and soak it later on.
23.To immerse it in syrup it is a good idea to place it in the mold you baked it in (I’m afraid a spring-form one wouldn’t work for this) and keep adding ladles of syrup until you see it along the rim of the pan. Or you can just soak it in a big bowl keeping your ladle on top of it so it doesn’t float. Once the Savarin is really well soaked carefully move it on a cooling rack positioned over a pan to let the excess syrup drip

24.The soaked Savarin gains in flavor the next day
25.Whatever you decide the day you want to serve it glaze it and fill the hole with your filling of choice and decorate it. You can serve the Savarin with some filling on the side. I decided for whipped cream with icing sugar.

26.Enjoy it !

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:
You can store the dried savarin for 5 days in a closed container. If you have soaked it cover well with cling foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Additional Information:
Folding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta2_h6Qogp0

Daring Bakers Bean Tartlets

Ruth from Makey-Cakey was our March 2013 Daring Bakers’ challenge host. She encouraged us all to get experimental in the kitchen and sneak some hidden veggies into our baking, with surprising and delicious results!

All the suggestions from Ruth were very appealing and I was very enthusiastic with it. So, I decided to try a recipe long postponed that was ideal for the challenge, Bean Tartlets.

It is a traditional Portuguese sweet and I highly recommend it. Thanks Ruth for giving me the enthusiasm to try it!

Bean Tartlets - makes 10 to 12 tartlets
Recipe Source: http://www.gastronomias.com/portugal/estremadura015.html (adapted)

Crust
125g flour
750dl water
1 tbsp butter or margarine (if salted do not put salt)
pinch of salt

Combine the flour, melted butter, salt and water, until it forms a ball (you may use less or more water and flour, add small portions at a time).

Cover with a dry cloth and the a wet cloth. Let it rest.

Filling
250g sugar
100g boiled white beans, in mash
25g grated almonds
3 eggs
3 yolks
flour
icing sugar

Combine the beans, the almonds, the eggs and yolks.
Prepare a syrup with the sugar, adding a bit of water in a pan and heat until 115ºC (use a thermometer). Add it to the bean mixture and combine well. Wait until it gets colder.

Pre-heat the oven to 225ºC

Meanwhile, use the crust dough to make the tartlet shells in small individual tins, use your hands to make then thin. Spoon the filling and sieve some flour and icing sugar on top.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

__________________________


Pasteis de Feijão

Ingredientes:
Para 20-25 pastéis

Massa:

250 g de farinha ;
2 colheres de sopa de manteiga ou de margarina ;
1,5 dl de água ;
sal

Recheio:
500 g de açúcar ;
200 g de feijão branco cozido ;
50g de amêndoas ;
6 ovos ;
6 gemas ;
farinha ;
açúcar em pó
 

Confecção:

Deita-se a farinha numa tigela e junta-se-lhe a manteiga derretida, uma pitada de sal e a água. Trabalha-se muito bem até formar uma bola. Tapa-se a massa com um pano seco e sobre este coloca-se um outro molhado, mas bem espremido, e deixa-se a massa descansar um pouco.
Entretanto, pelam-se as amêndoas e ralam-se. Passa-se o feijão pelo passador. Juntam-se as amêndoas ao puré de feijão e adicionam-se os ovos inteiros e as gemas passados por um passador de rede.
Leva-se o açúcar ao lume com um pouco de água e deixa-se ferver até atingir ponto assoprado (39º Baumé ou 115º C). Adiciona-se o xarope ao preparado de feijão, amêndoas e ovos. Mistura-se muito bem.
Enquanto o recheio arrefece formam-se forminhas de queques com a massa preparada e estendida fina. Enchem-se com o recheio, polvilham-se com um pouco de farinha e depois com açúcar em pó.
Levam-se a cozer em forno quente (225º C) durante cerca de 25 minutos.

Fonte: http://www.gastronomias.com/portugal/estremadura015.html

Daring Bakers - Gevulde Speculaas

Francijn of Koken in de Brouwerij was our January 2013 Daring Bakers’ Hostess and she challenged us to make the traditional Dutch pastry, Gevulde Speculaas from scratch! That includes making our own spice mix, almond paste and dough! Delicious!

Recipe Speculaas Spices

Speculaas spices can be bought in a store. But it's more fun to make your own mixture, so that you can adjust the flavor. Here is a representative recipe from the extensive Dutch tradition.
Mandatory:
cinnamon 40 to 60 % of the total amount
ground cloves 1 or 2 parts
mace ½ or 1 part
ginger ½ or 1 part
Optional:
white pepper ½ or 1 part
cardamom ½ or 1 part
coriander ½ or 1 part
anise ½ or 1 part
nutmeg 1 or 2 parts
A convenient way to mix the spices is as follows:
Take at least 1 or 2 teaspoons of ground cloves, ½ or 1 teaspoon of mace and ½ or 1 teaspoon of ginger.
Add to taste ½ or 1 teaspoon of white pepper, ½ or 1 teaspoon of cardamom, ½ or 1 teaspoon of coriander, ½ or 1 teaspoon of anise, and 1 or 2 teaspoons of nutmeg.
Measure or weigh the amount of spices you have now, and add an equal amount of cinnamon.

This method yields at least 4 and at most 18 teaspoons of spices, so if you plan to mix just a few spices, use bigger or more spoons to get a reasonable amount.
Take your time to smell the ingredients individually before you decide how much to add. And remember the proportions, that will make adjustments easier next time.
Store the spices airtight, dry and dark, they will not spoil for a long time.

Recipe Almond Paste
As we are going to make stuffed speculaas, we will need almond paste. You can buy it in a store, but homemade almond paste tastes better.
Ingredients:
7/8 cup (210 ml)(125 gm)(4½ oz) raw almonds (or 1-1/3 cups (320 ml)(125 gm) (4½ oz) ground almonds)
5/8 cup (150 ml) (125 grams) (4½ oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) lemon zest

Directions:
If the raw almonds still have their brown skins, remove them as follows. Bring water to a boil, add the almonds, cook them for one minute, drain immediately and let cool for a few minutes. Rub them between your fingers to remove the skins.

Grind the almonds for one or two minutes in a food processor, until you see nothing but very small pieces. (Or skip this step if you use ground almonds.)
Add the sugar, and grind for another one or two minutes. It must be very fine after this step.
Add the egg and let the food processor combine it - if it is powerful enough. Otherwise you will have to combine it with your fingers.
Store the almond paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Although the flavor gets better as days pass by, it is not wise to store the paste for too long, as it contains a raw egg. For the same reason you should not eat the paste unbaked.

To be safe, you could choose one of these options:
use egg powder and water to replace the egg (follow instructions with the powder)
use 50 ml of an other liquid, like lemon juice (in that case, leave the zest out)
add the egg just before you are going to bake the pastry
The paste can also be kept in the freezer.


Recipe Speculaas Dough
Ingredients:
1¾ cups (250 gm) (9 oz) all purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder
¾ cup (150 grams) (5-1/3 oz) brown sugar, firmly packed
a pinch salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) speculaas spices
3/4 cup (1½ stick) (175 gm) (6 oz) unsalted butter

Directions:
Put flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices in a bowl.
Cut the butter in dices and add.
Knead until smooth.
Feel free to add a little milk if the dough is too dry.
Wrap in clingfoil and put in the refrigerator for two hours.
You can choose to make the dough a few days in advance, just like the almond paste, that will benefit the flavor. Freezing is no problem.

Assembling and baking the Gevulde Speculaas
Ingredients:
speculaas dough
almond paste
whole almonds without skins for decoration
1 large egg
shallow baking pan, 8x10 inch (20x26 cm) or, round with of diameter 10 inch (26 cm)
Directions:
1. Grease the pan.
2. Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas 4
3. Divide the dough into two portions.
4. Roll out both portions on a lightly floured surface, until they are exactly as big as the baking pan.
5. Put one of the layers in the pan and press it lightly to fill the bottom.
6. Lightly beat the egg with a teaspoon cold water.
7. Smear 1/3 of the egg over the dough in the pan.
8. Roll out the almond paste between two sheets of clingfoil, until it is exactly as big as the pan, and put it on the dough in the pan. (If you chose to make the paste soft, you can smear the paste instead of rolling it.)
9. Press the paste lightly down to fit in the pan, and smear the next 1/3 of the egg over it.
10. Now put the second layer of dough on top of the paste, press it lightly, and make as smooth as possible.
11. Smear the last 1/3 of the egg over the dough.
12. Decorate the pastry with the almonds.
13. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.
14. Let cool completely in the pan, then cut it in portions as you like.
15. If you wrap the stuffed speculaas in clingfoil, after it has cooled completely, you can store it a few days at room temperature. Freezing is possible, but fresh speculaas tastes better.

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:
Speculaas spices: store them airtight, dry and dark, and they will not spoil for a long time.
Almond paste: keep it in the refrigerator. Some people keep it there for months, but if it contains raw egg, I recommend not more than a few days. Can easily be frozen.
Speculaas dough: can be kept in the refrigerator for days, or in the freezer for months. But remember: fresh tastes better.
Stuffed speculaas: if you let it cool completely, you can wrap it in clingfoil and keep it a few days at room temperature. And again: freezing is possible, but fresh is better.

Daring Bakers - Shortbread and other delicious cookies

Holiday season is the time for sharing and Peta of Peta Eats is sharing a dozen cookies, some classics and some of her own, from all over the world with us.

Of all the wonderful recipes Peta presented I chose the shortbread, but will definitely try the others.
I wasn't able to pipe the dough and so decided to make small circles. The shortbread is delicious. A keeper.

To share with you I chose two recipes from Madeira Island which are very typical during the holiday season: beer twists (palitos de cerveja) and molasses cookies (broas de mel).

Shortbread

Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) softened butter
1¼ cups (175 gm) (6 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
½ cup (65 gm) (2- 2/3 oz) confectioners' sugar
¼ cup (45 gm) (1½ oz) cornflour
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla essence
Nuts, chocolate chips, maraschino cherries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to moderate 300°F/ 150°C/gas mark 2
2. Combine butter, flours, vanilla and confectioner's sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle beater. Mix on low speed until combined and then change to the whisk beater.
3. Beat for 10 minutes.
4. Pipe into rings.
5. Decorate with maraschino cherry pieces to look like little wreaths or leave plain.
6. Bake in preheated moderate oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned.
7. Cool completely and drizzle with melted chocolate or icing (frosting) if you want to.
Important Tips I have learnt since I did the Food Talk Article
To pipe shortbread beat for 10 minutes NO MORE – if you overbeat the mixture it won’t hold when it cooks.
A cool oven is important. If your oven is too hot the butter and sugar boils and you end up with lacy cookies that fall apart as soon as you try to do anything with them.
Between piping put the bowl and the piping bag away from your oven so it doesn’t get hot but don’t put it in the refrigerator because it gets too cold and you can’t pipe it.



Beer Twists
[this is a typical cookie from Madeira Island, very appreciated during the holiday season]

500g flour
250g butter or margarine
2 small cups of white beer
1 egg white
Caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine all the ingredients (except the egg and sugar) very well (I use my hands). Add the beer carefully to obtain the right dough consistency, firm enough to roll with your hands.
Take a small portion and roll over the kitchen table, fold in half and twist to form a kind of braid (check the picture above). But you can use any shape you want.
Brush the cookies with the egg white and roll in caster sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until they start to brown on top and the sugar lightly caramelizes.


Molasses Cookies
[this is another typical cookie from Madeira Island, very appreciated during the holiday season]

250g flour
150g caster sugar
1 tsp cinamon
1 tsp baking soda
125 g butter or margarine
molasses to taste (betweem 50 and 100 ml)
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the sugar and butter very well. Add the egg, soda, molasses , cinamon and flour.
Try to form small balls with the palms of your hands. If the consistency does not allow it, add more flour until you can handle the dough without sticking to your hands.
Form small balls and then press lightly between your hands to make circles.
Bake for 25/30 minutes.