Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Tooth cake


This fondant covered cake was made for my in-law's birthdaym who happens to be a dentist. I baked a rectangular shaped chocolate sponge cake and cut out a triangle in the bottom so it would assume the shape of a molar tooth. I covered it with layers of chocolate-icing. Then I rolled out 4-500 grams of white fondant so that it would be thin enough to cover the cake but thick enough not to break. I colored the remaining 200 grams of (less might be enough) fondant with blue food color and started shaping a toothbrush handle, rolling it like a sausage and then shaping it. I added a small chunk of white fondant on top of it, shaped it as a rectangle and pinched it with a fork. The toothpaste took a significantly longer time to create. I flattened the blue fondant and made it slightly rectangular, though letting it expand on the bottom, and rolled it back with the help of a pencil. I flattened a bit of white fondant, cut out a rectangular shape and glued it on top of my toothpaste with some water. For the cork I rolled a small piece of white fondant, shaped it and designed it with the help of a knife. Then I glued it with some water on top. I glued my toothpaste and toothbrush with water on top of my cake and decorated it with flower shapes on the sides.

Friday, May 21, 2010

No-bake cheese cake







The White Queen cake, as I call it is actually one of those few yummy stuffs that need no baking. I feel, it has its well deserved spot in a primarily baking blog as well, mostly because its my blog and I can do whatever I want with it :)






Here we go:
The crust:

250 grams tea biscuits with chocolate
150 grams melted butter

1 good spoon of brown sugar


The filling:

200 grams of white chocolate
225 grams 30% cream cheese (eg Napoleon)
500 grams of 5% white cheese
2 packs (500 grams )of 32% whipping cream
Half a pack (40 grams) of instant vanilla pudding
1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar
On top:
1 cup of fruits of the forest mixture defrosted and screened
3 spoons of sugar
2 spoons of orange juice
1 flat teaspoon cornflour
1.We break the biscuits down in the mixer and add melted butter and sugar. Stir it until we get an even crumby dough-like substance. We spread it on the bottom of a round-cake pan (with a removable ring). We place our crumb-spead in the freezer until we continue with the recipe.
2. We melt our white chocolate in the micro or over hot water. We fold in the cream- and the white cheese. We whip the heavy cream with the pudding and sugar until we get a nice, airy, fluffy cream. We fold in the chocolate-cheese mix and spread it on the crust. We keep it covered with a nylon foil in the fridge for over night.
3. Fruits on top: we mix together the fruits, sugar, OJ and cornflour and wait for a few mins until the cornflour melts. We stir it again and spread the fruit mix on the cheese layer. We keep it in the fridge covered for up to 3 days.
Tips:
Just before serving freeze the cake for a few mins so it would get a good hold when removing the ring.
You can also serve it as a refreshing desert in parfait cups, with the crust on the side as a praline.


Lasagne with spinach and cheese


Ok , this one has decidedly turned out to be an absolute favorite with everyone. I have tested this recipe several times and noone, I repeat, NO ONE had to be hospitalized after eating it...:) No, come'on, people have loved it, really. The trick is to cook all ingredients somewhat beforehand.
I'll just get on with it-
Ingredients:
400 grams spinach (could be more as they shrink when heated - the more the merrier)
250 grams cottage cheese
200 grams white, salty cheese (eg Feta or Bulgarian)
3 eggs
1 small red onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 spoonfuls of olive oil
400 grams canned tomatoe cubes
1 pack of pasta sauce
salt, black pepper,
fresh or dried oregano and basil
150 grams lasagna leafs
150 grams grinded mozarella cheese
1.We cook the spinach in boiled water for a minute or two and then screen it so it wouldn't be soaked with water. We add the cottage cheese and the smashed feta cheese, as well as the eggs. We stir well - i use a kitchen aid -and add salt and pepper.
2. We cook the diced onions with a bit of olive oil, after a minute or two we add the canned onions and the pasta sauce and 1-2 cups of water. We stir and add our spices.
3. We place the lasagne leafs in boiled, -hot- water until they soften up and place them next to one another verically, until they fit in a medium-sized rectangular pattern. We spread the tomato sauce on the lasagne leafs, and add our spinach-cheese mixture on top of it. We sprinkle it with grinded mozarella. We cover the spread with another layer of lasagne leafs, just, this time we lay down 2 leafs horizontally and one vertically. We repeat the procedure all together 3 times, each time spreading the lasagne leafs opposite to the layer below. Our fourth layer of lasagne leafs will be sprinkled with the remaining tomatoe sauce and mozarella.
4. We bake it covered for 35 mins on 180 C and then wait another ten mins until we slice and serve it.
Bon Appetit!

Onion Quiche


Onion quiche or "pashtida" is a great starter to your meal or could stand on its own as a light dish with salad on the side. The main ingredient here - no, you never could have guessed - is onion, loads of onion. When baked in the oven it loses its rough edges and becomes sweet but with character.
So here is the recipe:
100 grams butter
5 large red onions
1 cooking cream (3 dl)
4 eggs
5 spoons of flour
2 packs of cottage cheese (500 grams)
We cook the onions with the cream on low fire.
Meanwhile we screen the flour - makes it airy -and mix it with the stirred eggs and cottage cheese. We pour the creamy onions on the flour-egg-cheese mix, and spice it with salt, pepper ( a little garlic won't hurt either). We stir the mixture until it gets relatively even and the pour it on a greased pattern.
45 mins at 180 C

Friday, May 14, 2010

Daring Baker

Big decision coming up boys and girls! Hahaha, that made me laugh, as I have no followers whatsoever. So, boys and girls, I am going to challenge myself as a daring baker and enter the monthly competition. As a full time worker- mother of a toddler - dog-owner -student - doesn't this sound completely rational??
Of course, I will have all the time in the world to give in to my passion of making cakes and face public embarrassment - or praise - from time to time. So, one, two, three, here I come daring bakers!

Heartcake with sugarpaste decoration



Add Image