Bolo de Cenoura e Limão para festejar

Hoje é um dia especial. Muito especial. É o aniversário da minha mãe.

Por isso, nada melhor que um post com um bolo de cenoura para quem tem uns olhos lindos.

Na família já estamos, aparentemente, na 4ª geração de mulheres com olhos bonitos e invulgares: a minha avó materna, a minha mãe, eu e finalmente a minha pequenota que parece estar a seguir a genética. Será da cenoura?

Tinha no meu caderno apenas uma receita de bolo de cenoura (muito bom) que me foi dada pela minha mãe. Entretanto, tinha vontade de experimentar uma receita nova e surgiu esta. Foi uma surpresa muito agradável. É um bolo muito saboroso, que nos dá conforto, bom mesmo. Dedico-o então à aniversariante. Parabéns!

Bolo de Cenoura e Limão

Fonte:

http://www.yummly.com/dish/2013/03/zesty-lemon-carrot-cake-for-spring/

3 ovos

1 chávena da açúcar (eu usei açúcar mascavado)

3/4 de chávena de azeite

1 colher de sopa de sumo de limão

1 colher de sopa de raspa de limão

1 chávena de cenoura ralada

2 chávenas de farinha (a receita original usa farinha integral, eu usei a farinha comum)

1 colher de sopa de fermento

Pré-aquecer o forno a 180ºC.

Misturar o açúcar e os ovos. Adicionar o azeite, o sumo e a raspa de limão, a cenoura ralada e continuar a mexer.

Juntar a farinha e o fermento e envolver toda a mistura.

Colocar numa forma untada e polvilhada com farinha.

Levar ao forno por cerca de 40 minutos.

Deixar arrefecer. Desenformar e polvilhar com açúcar em pó.

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.

 

 

Cupcakes decorados para festejar três meses de vida

O tempo passa muito rápido quando se tem crianças, já me tinham avisado. É a mais pura verdade.

A minha bebé já vai fazer quatro meses!

Quando ela completou três meses, decidi que era altura de fazer algo para celebrar. Já tinha uns cupcakes de mirtilo (ultimamente faço cerca de 20, deixo alguns para comermos na hora e depois congelo os restantes individualmente em película aderente para quando quisermos) e só me faltava a decoração.
Inspirei-me em algumas ideias que vi no Pinterest e queria usar algumas decorações de açúcar que a minha mãe me tinha enviado.

Cobri o topo dos cupcakes com um pouco de mascarpone.
Estiquei pasta de açúcar branca com rolo e amido de milho para não colar.
Cortei com forminha de bolacha redonda.
Preparei uma pequena porção de pasta de açúcar amarela, usando pasta branca com corante alimentar.
Criei alguns efeitos com a ponta de uma faca e colei as decorações com mascarpone.

Decidi que ia complicar um pouco e tentei fazer um sapatinho de bebé.
Pesquisei no Pinterest e encontrei os seguintes exemplos:

http://ak.pinterest.com/pin/59320920066632512/
http://ak.pinterest.com/pin/229754018463165746/

Depois adaptei e voilá. Podia estar melhor, mas fiquei orgulhosa.

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.

Tarte de Chocolate

Esta tarte de chocolate, só a fiz duas vezes, mas é deliciosa.

Tudo começou assim...
Eu e o meu marido costumamos frequentar uma casa de chá com uma carta de chás muito completa, assim como apetitosos bolos, tartes e scones. Ele pede sempre tarte de chocolate e todas as vezes diz que está ótimo.
Foi aí que pensei que não tinha nenhuma receita de tarte de chocolate e seria um excelente desafio encontrar uma à altura.
Encontrei-a no Pinterest e decidi experimentar.
Não é difícil e é muito saborosa. Veio para ficar.
E é claro que continuamos a ir à casa de chá comer tarte de chocolate (que é ótima e bastante diferente desta) e não só ;)

Tarte de chocolate (de chorar por mais)

Base da tarte
1 chávena e 1/2 de bolacha moída (cerca de 35 bolachas) - eu escolho as de chocolate ou com pepitas de chocolate
5 colheres de sopa de margarina derretida

Recheio
1/2 chávena de margarina em cubos
225g de chocolate preto em pedaços
1 chávena e 2/3 de açúcar
2 colheres de chá de essência de baunilha
4 ovos (3 se forem XL)
manteiga de amendoim a gosto

Pré-aquecer o forno a 180ºC. Untar uma forma de tarte.
Juntar a bolacha moída e a margarina. Forrar com a mistura o fundo e os lados da forma de tarte, pressionando bem. Cozer 7 a 8 mins. Retirar do forno e deixar arrefecer.
Derreter o chocolate e a margarina em banho maria num recipiente não muito pequeno. Retirar do calor e adicionar o açúcar, seguido da baunilha. Juntar os ovos, um a um até ficar uma mistura suave.
Espalhar manteiga de amendoim na crosta de bolacha que já arrefeceu (opcional). Despejar a mistura de chocolate e levar ao forno por 40 a 50 minutos, ou até a massa estar cozida, mas ainda um pouco mole no centro. Deixar arrefecer e desenformar. Depois, levar ao frio por cerca de 2 horas.

___________________________________

I've already tried this recipe twice and it is a keeper. Found it on Pinterest and it is really delicious. Highly recommended.

Chocolate Pie (source: Love and Olive Oil, via Pinterest)

Ingredients:

For Crust:
1 1/2 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 8 ounces or 35 cookies)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
8 ounces good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup creamy salted peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan or spray with nonstick spray. Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture into prepared pan. Place pan on a cookie sheet (to prevent any butter from leaking onto your oven floor) and bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water (the bowl should sit over, but not touch the water). Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, followed by vanilla and salt. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until smooth.
Spread peanut butter in an even layer in the bottom of the cooled crust. Pour in filling and bake (again setting the pan on a cookie sheet) for 40 to 50 minutes or until the pie is set and shiny on top, but still slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until fully set. Slice and serve with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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 - 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.

Bolo com mel para meu Pai

Hoje é dia de festa. O meu pai celebra mais um aniversário, mas este ano é especial, uma idade muito bonita e que me deixa muito feliz, 70 anos. Fico feliz por vê-lo ativo, com alegria, saúde, imaginação nas suas artes e  bom humor.

Tal como aconteceu no dia da mãe, não vou estar fisicamente presente no aniversário, mas preparei uma surpresa "docinha", como o meu pai gosta.

Escolhi um bolo com mel de abelha porque o aniversariante, quando era mais novito, gostava de ir às reservas de mel dos padrinhos e comer, comer. Sempre gostou de petiscos e os olhos brilham com comidinha boa. Ainda hoje é assim e fico feliz que o seja.

Pesquisei uma receita de um bolo que tivesse mel de abelha e testei. Ficou bom. Decidi decorar de acordo com a temática e por isso fiz umas abelhinhas de pasta de açúcar com umas gotas de corante amarelo; as asas com amêndoa laminada e as riscas com chocolate derretido (usando um palito). Segui design das abelhas por este site.  Ficaram amorosas, como o meu menino de 70 anos. Parabéns Pai!

Bolo com mel de abelha
[receita adaptada de Brown Eyed Baker]

3 e 1/2 chávenas de farinha
1 colher de sopa de fermento em pó
1/2 colher de chá de sal
4 colheres de chá de canela
1/2 colher de chá de cravinho
1 chávena de óleo
1 chávena de mel de abelha
1 e 1/2 chávenas de açúcar
1/2 chávena de açúcar amarelo
2 ovos
1 colher de chá de baunilha
1 chávena de café morno
1/2 chávena de sumo de laranja
1/4 de chávena de whisky

Misturar os ingredientes secos primeiro. Adicionar o mel, o óleo, os açúcares, os ovos, a baunilha. Misturar muito bem e juntar os líquidos (o café, o sumo e o whisky) com cautela, provavelmente não a quantidade toda para não ficar uma mistura muito líquida.

Colocar numa forma untada e polvilhada. Levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 180ºC por cerca de 40/50 minutos. Um palito inserido no centro deverá estar ligeiramente húmido.

Cupcake de limão para a Mãe | Lemon cupcake for Mom

Hoje é Dia da Mãe e por isso fiz um cupcake especialmente para este dia, dedicado à minha doce mãe, Fátima.

Apesar de não poder prová-lo, de certeza que a intenção chegará ao seu coração.:)

Optei por uma massa de bolo de limão, adaptada do livro Magnolia Bakery e depois fiz um creme de limão também do mesmo livro, apenas para ajudar a fixar os corações de pasta de açúcar.

[Depois do bolo dos 60 anos, sobrou muita pasta. Decidi dividir em doses e congelar, bastou tirar do congelador uma hora antes de usar, polivilhei com açúcar em pó para retirar alguma humidade e depois trabalhei com as mãos até ficar com a consistência certa.]

Juntei duas gotas de corante vermelho (usei a marca Vahiné, à venda em 3 tubos nos supermercados - a quantidade de pasta era muito pouca e duas gotas deram o efeito rosa que eu queria) e trabalhei bastante com as mãos, pois no início não ficou uniforme. Estendi com o rolo sobre uma mesa com açúcar em pó e cortei com uma forminha de bolachas.

Os corações ficaram levantados de propósito, usando o creme como base.

Assim que possível, publico as receitas.

Feliz Dia da Mãe!

Festa de 60 anos de casamento - o bolo | 60th aniversary party - the cake

Recentemente houve uma festa grande na família, o aniversário de casamento dos avós do meu marido, 60 anos. Decidiu-se que a festa seria em nossa casa, mas com a colaboração de todos. A refeição coube a uns, os aperitivos a outros e a sobremesa também. Cabia-nos tratar do espaço e do bolo.

Claro que o bolo poderia ser comprado, como tem sido ao longo dos últimos anos, mas desta vez atrevi-me a sugerir fazê-lo eu. Trata-se de uma oportunidade que uma aprendiz de pasteleira não pode perder. E assim foi.

Os noivos tiveram a oportunidade de escolher a massa para o bolo e optaram por bolo escuro com mel de cana e frutos secos, tradicional nas festas madeirenses, chamado bolo família. Esta receita tem o nome sugestivo de bolo podre, mas é uma delícia.

Segue-se o passo a passo do projeto.

BOLO PODRE
(bolo tradicional na Madeira, muito usado em festas e casamentos)
Cada metade foi feita separadamente, na quantidade indicada abaixo. O outro andar foi também nessa quantidade, mas numa forma mais pequena.

250 de farinha

250 de açúcar

250 de manteiga

2 ovos

uma colher de chá de fermento em pó

250 ml de mel de cana

1 dl de vinho madeira / ou porto

meia garrafa pequena de cerveja preta

raspa de meio limão

1 colher de café de canela

250 de frutos secos: passas, amêndoas partidas, nozes, o que houver ;)

Bate-se a farinha, o fermento e a canela com a manteiga e o açúcar. 

 

Juntam-se as gemas batidas. Acrescenta-se a raspa de limão, o mel e a cerveja (pode ser sensato usar menos de meia garrafa - foi o que fiz - pois ainda levará vinho e as claras, convém dar uma margem para não ficar uma massa demasiado líquida). Bate-se bem. 

 

Deitam-se as frutas picadas e o vinho.

 

Envolvem-se as claras em castelo.

 

Coze-se a 180ºC, em forma untada e polvilhada.

Primeira metade do bolo a arrefecer

Recheio de natas batidas e açúcar em pó

Segunda metade e cobertura com as natas

Como o bolo iria ter um outro andar e poderia abater, segui o conselho de uma amiga e usei um recipiente (uma pequena forma de cerâmica, mas pode ser um copo ou outra coisa, desde que tenha a altura certa do bolo) no centro. Para isso tirei o centro do bolo para poder encaixar melhor e depois cobri com as natas.

Para a cobertura comprei covapaste, uma pasta de açúcar fácil de trabalhar e estender. Usei rolo e açúcar em pó para não pegar na mesa. Peguei na pasta como um lençol e coloquei por cima do bolo. Claro que não ficou perfeito, mas dei uns retoques com uma faca molhada em água.

O remate em baixo não estava grande coisa e por isso criei uns folhos, trabalhando a pasta como se fosse tecido.

Cobri o segundo bolo e depois tentei criar algo para o topo. Decidi-me por um laço e consultei alguns tutoriais:

http://junipercakery.co.uk/blog/tutorial-looped-bow-cake-decorating/

http://cakejournal.com/tutorials/how-to-make-a-gum-paste-bow/ (este foi o que serviu de guia, mas não usei colas, nem pincel, nem régua)

 

Já está com melhor aspecto, mas ainda há imperfeições nas laterais e decidi criar uns efeitos que "colei" passando uma faca molhada no lugar a fixar e depois fixei.

 Coloquei os números correspondentes e terminei.

Não é o trabalho mais perfeito, mas fiquei satisfeita com o resultado. Para além da decoração, o bolo estava muito saboroso e isso é muito importante.

Depois, partilharei as decorações de mesa.

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.