tilia trees and lemon cakes

december, 2013.

every now and then i make homemade yogurt
so when i found myself with two jars sitting on the fridge
and the expiration date creeping over
i took out some bowls and made a cake



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yogurt and lemon cake

original recipe here

ingredients*
♥ 210 g self rising flour, which is what i had on hand
♥ 1/2 tsp salt
♥ 300 g sugar (i used a bit less)
♥ 120 g butter, softened
♥ 234 g plain yogurt (i probably used a bit more)
♥ 2 large eggs
♥ 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
♥ zest of two lemons

i also added:

♥ lots of cardamom

* the list of ingredients was originally in cups,
but i cannot work with those measures so used this guide for conversion

method

preheat the oven at 180ºc

whisk the flour, baking soda, salt & cardamom.
in a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth.
pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones slowly and in three different batches.
mix until it's all incorporated, carefully not to over mix
pour the batter onto an oiled cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

the original recipe finishes the cake with syrup and candied lemons
but i like my cakes to be very simple, so i skipped that part

best served with a cup a tea and a good book on a sunny morning

autumn in spring

november, 2013.

when the spring feels more like autumn,
and the days are cold and cloudy
i turn on the oven and bake


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langue de chat

original recipe from "cuaderno dulce"
by pascale alemany*

ingredients

♥ 125 g flour

♥ 130 g sugar

♥ 100 g butter, softened

♥ 3 egg whites

♥ 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

i also added:

♥ a bit of lemon zest

method

preheat the oven at 210ºc. blend together the sugar and butter.

lightly whisk the egg whites and pour them slowly into the sugar.
add the remaining ingredients and mix til smooth.

using a spoon, spread the batter on a silicone mat
in small & long portions of roughly 5  or 7 cm
and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, til the sides are golden brown.

best served on a rainy day with a cup a tea and a good book.


* a few months ago, i had the chance to attend to one of pascale's cooking classes
she's a wonderful person and an amazing cook. if you live in buenos aires, i recommend them wholeheartedly.
classes are announced here

chocolate afternoons

august, 2012.
for some unkown reason
i find myself taking more & more vertical pictures.


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chocolate & nutella mug cake, for two

original recipe here

ingredients

♥ 4 tbsp self rising flour

♥ 3 tbsp cocoa powder

♥ 3 tbsp nutella

♥ 3 tbsp milk

♥ 1 tbsp sugar (i used vanilla sugar)

♥ 1tbsp oil (the original recipe calls for olive oil, but mine is sacred so i used canola instead)

♥ 1 egg

method

combine all the ingredients together in an big, big cup.

whisk together with a fork until combined and smooth.

if you have a microwave, microwave it for about a minute.
if you don't, like me, then bake for 15- 20 minutes in a regular oven.

let cool, sprinkle with some powder sugar & enjoy with someone you love.

kumquats & honey

homemade kumquat & honey marmalade

original recipe here

ingredients

♥ about 18 kumquats

♥ 2/3 cups honey (i used slightly less than 1 cup as i wanted it sweeter)

♥ 1 cup water

i also added:

♥ a few cardamom seeds

♥ a cinnamon stick

method

clean the kumquats and prick them in a few places with a toothpick.
bring a pot of water to boil and add the whole kumquats.
let it simmer for 15 minutes, drain and allow to cool a little bit.

thinly slice kumquats and remove seeds. place the  honey & water in a small saucepan.
heat over medium flame, stirring occasionally, until the honey has dissolved.

add the sliced kumquats to the pan (cardamom & cinnamon too, if wanted).
let it simmer uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, until the mixture has thickened up.

remove pan from heat and scoop the marmalade into a little hot, sterilized jar,
leaving half an inch of air between the marmalade and the lid.
wipe the rims, close it and place it in hot water for about 10 more minutes.

once cooled, scoop some on a freshly made scone
and enjoy it with a cup of tea and a good book.

last day of the year

on the last day of the year
i baked muffins & took a nap with baby pixel & m.



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last day of the year muffins

original recipe here

i'm not a fan of overly sweet treats, so i skipped the icing.

&  added a bit of nutella to the chestnut purée. it might still need some tweaking.

ingredients

♥ 255 g plain white flour

♥ 120 brown sugar

♥ 1 tbsp of cinnamon

♥ 1 tbsp baking powder

♥ 1/2 tsp salt

♥ 120 ml milk

♥ 120 ml buttermilk

♥ 52.5 g peanut oil

♥ 2 large eggs

♥ 150 g chestnut purée with 1 tbsp icing sugar (or as i did, 100 g chestnut purée + 50 g nutella)

i also added:

♥ a dash of whiskey

♥ 100 g chopped walnuts & almons

method

preheat the oven at 250ºc. blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and chopped nuts. 

whisk together the milk, buttermilk, oil and eggs until well-blended.

pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones. with a fork blend the two very briefly. 

fill the greased muffin tins 1/3 full of batter.

roll walnut-sized balls of the sweetened chestnut puree and place them in the middle of each muffin.

or mix nutella and chestnut purée and place it with a spoon. top with the remaining batter. 

place the muffins in the oven and immediately drop the temperature to 200°c. 

bake for 15- 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the center of a muffin. 

let cool on a rack & enjoy with someone you love.

calma

on a spring day that felt like autumn
i baked a cake made of cinnamon and tea

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cinnamon cake
original recipe here



ingredients

♥ 400 gr self rising flour
♥ 2 eggs
♥ 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
♥ 250 gr sugar
♥ 1 cup warm water
♥ 1 coffee cup canola oil or similar


method
preheat the oven at 180ºc. whisk together the flour, sugar and cinnamon.
add the wet ingredients one by one (eggs, oil, water) and mix til smooth.
pour the batter onto an oiled cake pan and sprinkled with sugar.
bake for 15 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
best served on a rainy day with a cup a tea and a good book.

lazy morning

i have to admit it, i love sleeping in. very, very much. few things manage to get me out of bed quickly in the morning. realizing i'm running late is one of those things. being able to sit in our couch with a good book, morning sun and a yummy breakfast is the other. and what better if said breakfast has eggs.

pocas cosas logran que me levante rápido de la cama a la mañana. darme cuenta que se me hizo demasiado tarde es una. poder sentarme en el sillón donde me da el sol de la mañana con un libro y un rico desayuno es la otra. y que mejor si dicho desayuno involucra huevos.

creamy baked eggs, for two ♥


ingredients

♥ 2 eggs

♥ 1 tbsp cream

♥ 1 tbsp parmesan cheese (freshly grated

♥ salt and pepper to taste

♥ vegetal oil (canola, coconut, etc) 

♥ fresh minced herbs

method

preheat oven and brush a small baking dish with oil. add the two eggs, cream, grate some cheese on top and season to taste. if desired, you can also add fresh herbs (rosemary, parsley, thyme or whatever you have at hand).
bake over medium heat until the eggs are done. between 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your taste. it will taste better if you serve with warm toasts. mine are vanilla cardamom french toast. with homemade bread, of course.

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huevos horneados, para dos ♥

ingredientes 

♥ 2 huevos

♥ 1 cda. de crema

♥ 1 cda. de queso parmesano (recién rayadito siempre es mejor)

♥ sal y pimienta a gusto

♥ aceite vegetal (coco, maíz, etc) 

 

elaboración

precalentar el horno y aceitar una fuente pequeña. colocar los dos huevos, la crema, el queso rayado y salpimentar a gusto. si se desea, también se pueden agregar hierbas frescas (romero, perejil, tomillo o cualquier otra que tengamos a mano). 

llevar a fuego medio entre 10 a 15 minutos, dependiendo del punto de cocción que prefieran. servir acompañado de tostadas calentitas es ideal. las mías son francesas con vainilla y cardamomo. con pan casero, por supuesto.