Chocolate and hazelnut cookies

I made these cookies last weekend. The mild scent of cinnamon reminds me already of Christmas...

For 2-3 baking-trays:
2 cup flour (250g)
1 1/2 cup grated hazelnuts (200g)
1/2 cup sugar (100g)
1 sachet vanilla sugar
3/4 cup margarine (180g)
5 tablespoons soy-rice-milk
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 knife point cinnamon

First mix the dry ingredients, then add margarine (room temperature) and milk and work everything to a dough. Before baking: refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours in foil. Bake it at 360°F (180°C) for 12 minutes. I chose 2 1/2 inch (6cm) as diameter for the cookie, please adjust your time to the size of your's.
Don't burn your fingers by having a sweet tooth here ;-)

Finally put a nice fondant-deco on top...tada!

Little heart for my mummy

Unfortunately I can't visit my parents very often. Therefore I would like to dignify this visit with a little cake-heart for my mum. Mum you're the best!

The cake is made of alternating layers of choco- and vanilla-sponge and chocolate ganache.

Love kitchen fairy

Gnocchetti on pumpkin-blossom sauce, caramelized cherry tomatoes and basil tofu

That was the lunch some days ago. The quantities are meant for about 3 dishes.

For the pumpkin sauce:

1 thick slice of pumpkin
½ shalott
2 tablespoons olive oil
13 fl. oz. water (200ml)
17 fl. oz oatcuisine (oat based cream) (250ml)
salt, pepper, stock
nutmeg
Flower Power blossom mix (herb mixture)

Sauté the chopped pumpkin in some olive oil, then add the diced shalott (onion). Season with stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg and deglaze with water. Add about 1 teaspoon of dried blossoms and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. As soon as the pumpkin is done, puree and strain everything. Keep the sauce warm until the rest is prepared.

For the cherry tomatoes: just heat two tablespoons olive oil and caramelize about 1 teaspoon of sugar in it at medium heat. Then roast about a half pound of tomatoes (250g) in it.

Now dice a half pound of basil tofu (250g) and roast it gently together with the remaining shalott in some oil.

Cook the wild-garlic-gnocchetti (we used about 2 pound for 3 persons; they are available in the super-market) in salted water and pour some oil on top after draining to avoid them sticking to each other.

Serve them togehter with the pumpkin sauce, cherry tomatoes and tofu and crown everything with some herbs and blossoms.

Mango sorbet on orange-sponge and pawpaw

I took some of my remaining sponge of another cake and combined it with this dessert. My family approved it ;)

For the mango sorbet:

 take the flesh of two ripe mangos

7 fl. oz. water (100ml)

1-2 tablespoons glucose syrup

1 teaspoon flour of locust bean

some vanilla essence

Puree the mango, water, syrup, vanilla and locust bean. Then put it for about two hours into the freezer. Creamy fluffy soft ...hmmm

Serve with some fresh pawpaw (papaya) and some eatable blossoms.

Quick Black Forest cake

I planned doing this design on the weekend, just to train my dexterity. Beneath the little blossoms a quick cherry gateau is hidden. I don't like to bake the same cakes over and over again and as I already have baken this cake more than often as it is the favorite one of my darling, I decided to emphasize the decoration at this one, and easied up the flan base a lil' bit. The layering therefore is: nut-sponge, cinnamon-sponge, morellos and finally a cream-layer. To get the straight shape I used a chocolate ganache to even out the little bumps. I baked the gateau in a 10 inch (24cm) spring form, what means it's enoooormous by my standards!

For the nut-sponge:

1 1/2 cup grounded hazelnuts (200g)
2 1/4 cup flour (260g)
1/2 cup sugar (110g)
3-4 tablespoons cocoa
2 1/2 fl. oz. agave nectar (70g) (or 1/4 additional cup (60g) sugar)
1 sachet of vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon natron
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 pinch of salt
2 1/2 fl. oz. oil (80ml)
13 fl. oz. water (380ml)

Mix the nuts, flour, sugar, cocoa, vanilla sugar, natron and salt. Afterwards stir in water, oil, agave nectar and vinegar. Bake it at 320°F (160°C) for about 50-65 minutes. Please do the toothpick test as the sponge must not get too dry!
Let the sponge chill, then cut it into two layers which will work as bases.

For the ganache:

2 pounds cooking chocolate (1kg)
17 fl. oz. oat based cream (500ml) ("Oatcuisine")

Mince the chocolate into crude pieces, boil up the cream. As soon as the cream doesn't boil anymore, pour in the chocolate and stir until it's melted. Form a boundary with the ganache, in order that the cherries won't flow away.

1 can of morellos
1 sachet glaze (or 1 knife point agar-agar)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cherry brandy

Boil up 3/4 of the cherry juice together with the glaze powder and stir in the sugar. As soon as the bulk starts to chill, add the brandy. Drain the cherries, disperse 'em onto the nut sponge and douse it with the cherry bulk. Put the second base on top and even out the brink with some ganache.

For the cinnamon sponge:

4 cup flour (460g)
1/2 cup sugar (110g)
2 fl. oz. agave nectar (60ml)
1 teaspoon natron
1 knife point of cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
2 1/2 fl. oz. oil (80ml)
5 fl. oz. water (160ml)
7 fl. oz. soy-milk (200ml)

Once again first mix the dry ingredients then add the juicy ones. Bake at 320°F (160°C) for about 50-65 minutes. Do the toothstick test again. Let also cool down the sponge. Then cut off about one inch (2-3cm) of the brim (be careful, you will need it in the following) and divide the sponge horizontally into two. Lay aside the upper half (you don't need it anymore) and place the brim-ring on top of the gateau. Sprinkle a lil' bit of the brandy onto the brim.

Filling:

10 fl. oz. soy-cream (300ml)
2 sachets "whip it"
1 sachet vanilla sugar

Beat the cream together with the sugar and the "whip it" and pour it onto the cake in the inner of the brim-ring. Lay the remaining sponge-base on top of the cream as cover layer and encase the whole cake with ganache. Let it draw in the refrigerator over night.

On the next day I coated the gateau with an icing (2 pounds / 1 kg) and put some blossom on it for decoration.

Have fun!!!

Summerly finger food

Ideal for buffets, in between or by watching sports or series
and they are pretty easy.

For 12 sticks:

1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup tofu (100g)
12 olives
1 big, thick slice farmhouse bread
12 toothpicks

Of course you can use any other suitable food as well.

Dice the bread and roast it golden with some oil.
Also dice the tofu, season and roast it.

Finally bead everything on the toothpicks. Yum Yum.

Plum cupcake with streusels

Hello dears, finally I managed to post this yummy recipe. One of my nice colleagues gave me a ton of plums these days which I had to bake up of course. The cupcakes fit quite well into the current late summers’ atmosphere her in Germany as they are light, fluffy and fruity.
They have a fluffy yoghurt-almond base combined with the mentioned plums and streusels :-)
BTW: The recipe is not too sweet; I liked it this way.

For about 12 cupcakes:
1 3/4 cup flour (200g)
3/8 cup sugar (80g)
1 sachet vanilla sugar
1/2 teaspoon natron
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons soy-yoghurt (50g)
3 tablespoons purée of almonds (50g) (not mandatory, replaceable by 2 tablespoons of apple purèe and some oil)
2 tablespoons tasteless sunflower oil (30ml)
3 tablespoons apricot jelly or any other yellow jelly (50g)
1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
5 fl. oz water (150ml)

Mix the flour, sugar, vanilla, natron, salt and cinnamon, then add yoghurt, purée of almonds, oil, apricot jelly and water and stir in everything. At last add the vinegar and work everything to a smooth dough.

18-24 plums (depending on how many fit on your cupcake...)
Wash, halve and pit the plums.

For the streusels (the crumbly things on top):
2 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sugar or vanilla sugar
1 good pinch of cinnamon

Work all ingredients with a fork to streusels.
Divide the dough onto 12 cupcake molds. Then press the halved plums on top and cover them with the streusels. Bake 'em at 325°F (160°C) for about 25-30 minutes.

Tastes best fresh from the oven!