Blueberry Muffins

Woke up this morning to another round of snow! Yes, it didn’t stick around, however it has managed to ruin my day…well, for a while anyway... I have decided to make something comforting, something simple, something I could enjoy within 30 minutes of mixing it up…and who doesn’t like muffins? Blueberry are my favorite. It was a joy watching them rise in the oven, and a real nice way to start, and improve what was to be a bad day.

Blueberry Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter (no substitutes)
1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
Coarse sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin pan cups (obviously, I have used stand alone paper muffin cups). Set aside.
Stir together flour, the 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

Combine eggs, milk, butter, and orange peel; add all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each almost full. If desired, sprinkle tops with coarse sugar. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes or until golden. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups. Makes 12.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Esterhazy Torte

It’s been a while yet again, but here I am, found some time to make a cake, yeah!!! Couple of weeks ago my kids’ godmother asked me if I ever made Esterhazy Cake. I didn’t until now, and I remembered my dear foodie friend Marija of Palachinka Blog (this links to recipe) did, so I paid her blog a visit, and promised myself I would make it.

Toasted almonds, and vanilla cream sounded heavenly, and I can’t believe I never made this cake before. I was a bit hesitant to commit myself to making 6-7 biscuit layers, but I just bought a pretty large Amish table, so I had no excuse, had plenty of surface to work on.

I was intimidated with making the white cake mirror with raw egg white; don’t really trust the eggs from the grocery store, so I opted for plain powdered sugar with orange juice instead (200g powdered sugar + 5 tbs freshly squeezed lemon/orange juice), and of course it gave me different results, and the cake isn’t as pretty as Marija’s. However, I am pretty sure that my impatience had a lot to do with it as well, as I hurried to make the net, and the whole thing started running down the sides; that was the moment I have instructed everyone to move out of the kitchen/dining area!!!!

All was great though, the next morning, when I finally tasted the darn thing, and decided I have found another favorite! The whole family loved it, and that’s rare, usually someone stays reserved.
Please consider making this cake, it is absolutely scrumptious!!!

Bohemian Cake

Lots of eggs makes for lots of cause for concern, but it also makes a great cake, with a smooth, and silky filling. Thin slices is all you need to enjoy this rich cake, and it’s very presentable, and pretty. Only I don’t like thin slices; instead I have indulged, and dusted off my treadmill to make up for it. Dusting takes care of the extra calories --- my treadmill is actually out of order : )
For all of you adventurous souls out there. Enjoy!

Bohemian Cake

For the filling:
15 egg yolks
4 tbs corn starch
7 ½ dl milk
300g sugar
4 tsp vanilla sugar
200g unsalted butter or margarine (room temperature)
100g dark chocolate
2 dl heavy whipping cream
1 whipping cream stabilizer
Powdered sugar (to taste) to sweeten the whipping cream

For the cake layers:
15 egg whites
300g sugar
350g ground walnuts
3 tbs all purpose flour

To make the filling:
Cook 7 dl milk, sugar and vanilla sugar in a pan, until it starts boiling. Mix egg yolks, ½ dl of milk, and corn starch until well combined, and there are no lumps. Mix it into boiling milk, reduce heat, and stir quickly. Cook for few minutes until thick. Let it cool to room temperature.
When cooled mix in the butter until nice and silky. Divide into two, and add melted chocolate into one part. Let it cool for a while in the fridge until you make the cake layers.

To make the cake layers:
Preheat oven to 395° F. Mix egg whites and sugar on a high speed until stiff meringue forms. Add walnuts and flour, and combine, but don’t over mix. Divide into three, and bake three cake layers. Cool the layers before applying the filling. I have used 9” spring form pans.
　
To assemble:
Divide the two fillings into 2 parts each. Arrange in the following order: cake layer, one part vanilla filling spread evenly over the cake layer. Then place one part of the chocolate filling in a ziploc bag, make a hole in one corner, and squeeze over the vanilla filling evenly in a circular motion starting from the middle. Repeat with another cake layer, vanilla filling, then chocolate filling, then top with the last cake layer. Apply whipped cream all over the cake, and decorate as you wish.

Adapted from magazine “Gurman” with minor modifications.

Chocolate Charlotte with Bananas

Hello my dear food bloggers, followers, and friends. It’s been a while, and I’m very appreciative that a lot of you still visit, and ask about my whereabouts. I miss blogging, and discovering what you’ve made every day.
Except for working too much, not much is new with me. I’m still holding on to my 20s, which is proving harder every day, esp. first thing in the morning before I apply layers of makeup : )

Like many of you, I’m enjoying the serene winter scenery, minus the morning car troubles, and huge winter heating bills. I have a had a great Holiday season, with December 31st being my busiest work day, and for the first time in my adult life I fell asleep and woke up next year without my share of New Years Champagne.
My family petitioned yesterday that I reclaim my throne in the kitchen and finally make something homemade. Well, I cheated a little, but it’s almost completely home made.

I decided to go though the whole usual works of making them wait for dessert till I snap a few images to share with you. Hope you like it, and hope you are all having a great New Year!

Chocolate Charlotte with Bananas

1 package lady fingers
Some milk to soak the ladyfingers

Filling:
2 packs Dr. Oetker pudding (available at ethnic stores, Italian fruit markets, or Meijer if you have one)
3 1/3 cup milk
9 tbs sugar
1 stick unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature

Set 2,5 cups milk to boil. Use the remainder of milk to mix pudding powder and sugar, the add to boiling milk, reduce heat, and stir quickly for few minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Combine with butter (or margarine).

For the biscuit:
3 eggs
6 tbs sugar
0.5 dcl/ 1.7 oz milk
0.5 dcl/ 1.7 oz oil
7 tbs flour
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Mix eggs with sugar, add oil, milk, then flour mixed with baking powder. Bake until golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I have used the 8” pan.

To assemble:
Line a glass bowl with clear plastic wrap. Dip lady fingers into lukewarm milk, but don’t soak them too much, just quickly, and arrange them around the bowl wall. Add 1/3 filling to the bottom, then add a layer of lady fingers on top of it (not soaked), then 1/3 of filling, then 2 whole bananas bent a little to make a circle, then remainder of the filling, and close it all up with a biscuit. Let cool in the fridge over night, then flip it onto a cake stand. Serve with whipped cream and enjoy.
Note: It is very important to have the pudding and the butter at the same temperature, or it won’t combine nicely. Mine was not so perfect because I was impatient, or shall I say the entire family was : )