Sunday, April 16, 2017

Swedish Easter Cake
Påsktårta


Happy Easter everybody! No matter where you are, I hope you have a wonderful holiday with family and loved ones. 

To celebrate this year, I did an Easter-inspired take on a truly classic Swedish dessert, Prinsesstårta (Princess Cake). In Sweden this is our go-to cake for any big celebration - birthdays, graduations, weddings, you name it. For me, it tastes like home and brings back so many happy memories with family and friends. 

Oh, and it's amazing.




Princess cake is different from your typical buttercream cake. Between layers of light, airy base (often with a hint of orange or lemon zest) you'll find raspberry jam and vanilla custard. On top of that you have a thick layer of whipped cream. And if that's not enough, the whole thing is covered with marzipan. 

Typically, princess cake is green or pink and decorated with a small marzipan rose. I made mine yellow, and instead of the traditional rose, I built a bird's nest out of layers of chocolate. I then added chocolate candy eggs to the nest with a touch of gold leaf. As a finishing touch, I speckled chocolate around the base of the cake to mimic a bird's egg.




You'll find a recipe and a step-by-step guide for the Princess cake below. It takes a little effort, but it's so worth it. As we say in Swedish, Lycka till (Good luck)!



Glad Påsk vänner! I år gjorde jag en påskinspirerad prinsesstårta. Istället för den traditionsenliga marsipanrosen gjorde jag ett fågelnäste utav smält choklad, som jag sedan fyllde med chokladägg och dekorerade med bladguld. Enkelt, men åh så gott! Jag har gjort en steg-för-steg av tårtan här nedan. Lycka till!




Cake base
from Buffé

4 eggs
180 g sugar
60 g flour
80 g potato starch (Bob's Red Mill carries it)
1 tsp baking powder
zest from half a lemon
zest from half an orange
butter and flour for the cake pan


Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 345 degrees.
  2. Butter and flour a 9 inch springform pan. 
  3. Whip eggs and sugar until fluffy, about three minutes.
  4. Mix flour, potato starch and baking powder in a bowl.
  5. Sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Add the zest. Gently fold with a spatula until a smooth batter.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the lower part of the oven for about 30 minutes.
  7. Let cool before slicing into three layers.


Raspberry jam

500 g frozen or fresh raspberries
270 g sugar

Pour berries and sugar into a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a boil and let boil for about 10 minutes. Pour into a bowl and let cool.




Vanilla Custard
from Leila Lindholm

500 g milk (3%)
1 vanilla pod
135 g sugar
7 egg yolks
40 g corn starch
50 g butter, softened


 Directions:
  1. Split the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the seeds and put both seeds and the pod in a sauce pan with the milk. Bring to a boil.
  2.  Whip the egg yolks with sugar and corn starch. Pour in the hot milk, while whisking.
  3. Pour the mixture back into the pot and carefully heat the liquid, while whisking. As soon as the vanilla cream has started to thicken, take the pot off the heat and pour the crème into a cold bowl.
  4. Add the butter, stir until fully melted, and let it cool in a refrigerator. Stir occasionally to prevent a skin to form.


500 ml heavy whipping cream
1,5 tsp vanilla sugar (small bags by Dr. Oetker sold in many grocery stores by the spices section)

Start whipping the heavy cream, and add the vanilla sugar halfway through. Make sure that the whipping cream is not too lose or too firm. It is made just right when you can turn your bowl upside down and the whipped cream doesn't move.


600 g marzipan (sold in baking isles by brand Odense)
A couple drops of gel food coloring

Knead the marzipan and add the food coloring. Continue to knead until the color has been fully incorporated. Cover the marzipan in plastic wrap until ready to use.




To make the Princess cake:

1. Using a sharp knife, divide the cake into three layers. Insert the knife in the side and gently work your way around the cake until you've reached full circle.

2. Spread the jam on the bottom layer. 



3. Place another cake layer on top of the jam. Spread a generous amount of vanilla custard on top.



4. Add a third cake layer, and top with whipped cream.




5. Once cake is covered, add extra cream on top to create a dome.



6. Make sure the surface of the whipped cream is smooth. This will help you layer the marzipan evenly. Let the cake chill in the fridge for 15 mins to set.




7. In the meantime, melt dark chocolate over a water bath or in the microwave. Using a pastry bag (or ziplock with a hole cut in one corner), pour the chocolate into circles on parchment paper. Refrigerate until set, approximately 10 minutes.













8. Color the marzipan with a color of your choice. Using a rolling pin, roll out the marzipan on a non-stick surface (I use a silicone mat). Remove the cake from the fridge, and cover with marzipan.



9. Gently press down the sides of the cake, making sure to smooth out any bumps. I like using disposable gloves, so my hands don't stick to the marzipan. 










10. Trim the edges of the cake using a sharp knife.




11. To make speckles, mix powdered cocoa with a little water, and using a clean paint brush, splatter onto the bottom of the cake. You should cover up with parchment paper any part of the cake you don't want speckled.


12,  Remove the chocolate from the fridge, and stack them on top of the cake, to create a bird's nest. Fill the nest with chocolate candy eggs.




Happy Easter, and Glad Påsk! I'd love to hear how it turns out for you, so please feel free to comment below.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Warm Dark Chocolate Sauce with Raspberries
Varm Chokladsås med Hallon



I don't know about you, but in our family, comfy pants date night is a thing. There's that magical moment when we've finally gotten the kids to bed, and we look at each other, take a deep breath, and relax for the first time all day. Then we put on comfy pants and have some fika.

Some nights I like to class things up a little and make something special, but still quick and easy. This warm chocolate sauce by Roy Fares, one of my favorite Swedish bakers, is perfect. Made with pureed raspberries and melted dark chocolate, it reminds me of my favorite fudge, but poured hot over fresh raspberries and mini marshmallows.

The best part? It's ready in 15 minutes.




This chocolate sauce would also make a great panna cotta, with one additional step. Just add two gelatin sheets (or a tablespoon of powdered gelatin) while it's still warm, and pour into small serving glasses. Let it set in the fridge for at least two hours before you dig in.




Fancy enough to serve to dinner guests, but easy enough to make before your favorite tv show comes on. It doesn't get better than that!




Ibland måste man få mysa till det litet extra på kvällen med den man älskar. Den här varma chokladsåsen är gjord på hallonpuré och mörk choklad och är härligt fyllig och len i smaken. Den serveras i portionsglas över färska hallon och minimarshmallows, enkelt men vackert! Ett tips är att göra pannacotta av chokladsåsen. Tillsätt ett gelantinblad i såsen och häll sedan upp i glas som får stå ett par timmar i kylen. Garnera med färska hallon.



Warm Chocolate Sauce with Raspberries
by Roy Fares
6 portions

400 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
150 g dark chocolate, 70%
250 g heavy cream
200 g milk, 3%
80 g sugar

For garnishing:
fresh raspberries
mini marshmallows
lemon balm or fresh mint


Directions:

  1. Put the raspberries in a blender and puree. Pour the puree through a strainer to get rid of the seeds. 
  2. Chop the chocolate into smaller pieces and put aside in a bowl. In a saucepan, combine the raspberry puree, cream, milk and sugar, and let come to a boil. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and let melt. Use a hand mixer to create a smooth chocolate sauce.
  3. Put some fresh raspberries, marshmallows and lemon balm (or mint) in glasses or small bowls for each serving. Pour the warm chocolate sauce into a carafe or other glass and serve.



Tuesday, April 04, 2017

French Madeleines
Franska Madeleinekakor



Don't you just love the way your kitchen smells after you've been baking? I made some Madeleines when my son got home from school yesterday, and the fresh lemony scent they gave off brightened up our rainy afternoon.




These shell shaped butter cakes have been a favorite of mine for some time. Madeleines are so light and airy on the inside, not too sweet, and have a fresh lemon flavor. They're perfect when you just feel like having something small with your coffee. Plus, since they're small, you can have two!

If you are feeling like chocolate instead (we all have our days), follow the recipe below, but increase the sugar to 1/2 cup, and substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for 2 tablespoons of the flour. Or why not try adding lavender?




To get that traditional shape, you will need a Madeleine pan. You'll find it in most well-stocked kitchen stores, like Williams Sonoma, or you can just get one off of Amazon. Otherwise, a regular muffin pan will do.




This is a great, quick recipe for a mid-week fika. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


Franska Madeleinekakor har alltid varit en av mina favoriter. Dessa är ljuvligt luftiga i mitten med en frisk citronsmak. Perfekt när man vill ha något litet till fikat! För att få en traditionell form på Madeleinekakorna behövs en speciell plåt, men en vanlig muffinsform funkar lika bra. 


French Madeleines
from Judy Farris

2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup butter


Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter and flour 12 (3 inch) madeleine molds; set aside.
  2. Melt butter and let cool to room temperature.
  3. In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and salt at high speed until light.
  4. Beating constantly, gradually add sugar; and continue beating at high speed until mixture is thick and pale and ribbons form in bowl when beaters are lifted, 5 to 10 minutes.
  5. Sift flour into egg mixture 1/3 at a time, gently folding after each addition.
  6. Add lemon zest and pour melted butter around edge of batter. Quickly but gently fold butter into batter. Spoon batter into molds; it will mound slightly above tops.
  7. Bake 14 to 17 minutes, or until cakes are golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertip.
  8. Use the tip of the knife to loosen madeleines from pan; invert onto rack. Immediately sprinkle warm cookies with granulated sugar. Madeleines are best eaten the day they're baked. Leftover madeleines are wonderful when dunked into coffee or tea.