Monster Cake!

Happy Halloween everyone! We're taking our boys trick or treating with some friends this afternoon, so I made this silly monster cake to share.

This orange creature, which our kids for some reason named "Bobby," is a chocolate cake, filled with raspberry mousse and chocolate buttercream. To get that hairy effect, I piped orange colored buttercream with a Wilton tip #233. You start from the bottom of the cake and move on up to make sure the "hair" overlaps downwards. It's a pretty messy job! The eyes are cake pops made from leftover vanilla cake crumbs mixed with cream cheese, that I covered in fondant. The mouth is also made from fondant.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go figure out how to get some giant bunny ears to stay on my son's head!

Baby Shower Cake

This weekend I made my first baby shower cake for a friend. It was so much fun! The colors they had chosen were navy and mint, and I got free reign when it came to the design of the cake.

I loved the idea of a pair of baby chucks, because seriously, is there anything cuter? And thanks to Pinterest I found a great tutorial on how to make them from fondant. 

Since the mommy to be is a chocolate lover, I made a four layered chocolate cake with a raspberry mousse and a chocolate buttercream filling. I love that the recipe uses ground espresso, both in the cake batter and the buttercream. It adds another dimension to the chocolate, without being overpowering. Just make sure you use a good brand such as Illy, you'll be able to taste the difference!

Also, can we talk about how easy it is to make a great raspberry mousse? There are only four ingredients and it takes about five minutes to whip together. You can use either fresh or frozen berries (but always remember to boil frozen ones, to make sure they're free from any viruses). I used fresh raspberries and strained the seeds before adding to the whipped cream. Pure deliciousness!

I wanted to keep the design pretty clean, so I kept the base white and added some bunting and made some details by piping with royal icing. This was my first try with royal icing, and it was really fun to work with. I can't wait to try it with cookies!

The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever
from addapinch

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water



Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
2. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
3. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
4. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream

by addapinch

1½ cups butter (3 sticks), softened

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

5 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon espresso powder

Instructions:

1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

Raspberry Mousse

by Linda Runn

225g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
45 g sugar
2 tsp gelatin
300 ml heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Put raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Strain the raspberries.
2. Pour the gelatin into the warm raspberry sauce and let cool in the fridge.
3. Whip the heavy whipping cream and fold into the cooled raspberry sauce.
4. Let set in the fridge for two hours, or pour into a cake ring to use as a cake filling.

Swedish Cinnamon Buns

We Swedes take our cinnamon buns seriously. So seriously, as a matter of fact, that we even have our own day on the calendar. Last Monday was National Cinnamon Bun Day, or Kanelbullens Dag, and in true Swedish fashion, it had to be celebrated!

I made a fresh batch when I woke up in the morning, which was a perfect way to lighten up a rainy weekend on hurricane watch, and cheering up a hubby who was getting over a cold. And it's a wonderful bonus to have your kitchen smelling like cinnamon buns all day.

I love my mom's cinnamon buns. She never follows a recipe completely, but they always turn out great. I think that's one of the great secrets when it comes to successful baking, getting so familiar with your own baking, that you can tell when the dough 'feels' ready, and knowing when you need to add more of one thing or another. 

This wasn't the first time I've ever made cinnamon buns, but I decided to read up on what tips other bakers have when it comes to making the ultimate version. By following these few adjustments, the outcome was the most fluffy, light and moist cinnamon buns I have ever made. 

Here're a few tips:

- Use half milk, half heavy cream. Normally Swedish cinnamon bun recipes call for milk, but by switching out half of the amount for cream, you'll get really moist buns.

- Don't use all the flour at once. Sometimes it's better to use a little less flour, and then add more after the dough has been allowed to rise for 40 minutes. This way you make sure the bread doesn't become too compact. 

- Work the dough for a long time. I used a dough hook on my Kitchen Aid, but you can do it the old fashioned way by hand. By working the dough in a baking machine on low speed for about 10 minutes, long "gluten threads" form that help keep the dough elastic, which makes the buns light and fluffy. 

- Go nuts with filling! We both know these babies are not meant for dieting. Don't be shy with the butter, cinnamon and sugar. In this case, more is still more.

The boys loved the buns, and might have had two each. But then again, it's not every day we get to celebrate Cinnamon Bun Day!

It was so cute to see how they snuggled feet while eating their cinnamon buns. I think that, and the chuckle they made after having the first bite, was the biggest compliment I could ever have gotten.

Cinnamon buns for everyone!



Cinnamon Buns
from Malincalla

Dough:
1 package dry yeast
150 g butter
250 ml milk and 250 ml heavy cream combined
½ tsp salt
90 g sugar
1 tsp cardamom 
1 egg
780 g flour 

Filling:
Butter (as wanted)
A few teaspoons ground cinnamon
Sugar
Vanilla sugar

1 whisked egg for brushing
Pearl sugar


Directions:

1. Put the yeast in a bowl. Melt the butter. Add the liquid to the butter and heat until between 105-110°F.
2. Pour the liquid over the yeast and stir until dissolved. Add salt, sugar, cardamom, the egg and most of the flour. Work the dough for about ten minutes, until it comes together nicely and releases from the sides of the bowl.
3. Let the dough rise covered for about 30-40 minutes. Pour the dough onto a floured surface, and work in the remaining flour.
4. Divide the dough in half and roll it into a rectangular shape. Spread it with butter and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon. Roll into a roll from the long side.
5. Cut them into 0.8 inch slices and put them in baking forms. Let the buns rise covered until doubled in size, for about 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 480°F. 
6. Brush the buns with the whisked egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake on the middle rack in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Let cool under baking towel.

Kanelbullar

Deg:
50 g jäst
150 g smör
5 dl gräddmjölk
½ tsk salt
1 dl socker
Ev 1 tsk kardemumma
1 ägg
1.3 liter vetemjöl

Fyllning:
Valfri mängd smör
Ett par teskedar malen kanel
Socker

1 lätt uppvispat ägg till pensling
Pärlsocker

Gör så här:
Smula ner jästen i en degbunke. Smält smöret i en kastrull. Tillsätt vätskan och värm till fingervarmt, ca 37°C.

Häll degspadet över jästen och rör tills den är upplöst. Tillsätt salt, socker, kardemumma, ägget och det mesta av mjölet. Arbeta degen smidig, när den släpper bunkens kanter är den färdig. Omkring 5 minuter med maskin och 10 minuter för hand.

Låt degen jäsa övertäckt ca 30-40 minuter. Stjälp upp degen på mjölat bakbord. Arbeta in resten av mjölet och knåda degen smidig.

Dela degen mitt itu och kavla ut varje del till en rektangulär platta. Bred på smör och strö över sockret och kanelen och rulla sedan samman degplattorna från långsidan.

Skär dem i ca 2 cm breda bitar och lägg dem med snittytan uppåt i pappersformar. Låt bullarna jäsa under bakduk till dubbel storlek ca 20-30 minuter.
Värm under tiden ugnen till 250°C.

Pensla bullarna med det uppvispade ägget och strö sedan över pärlsocker. Grädda mitt i ugnen ca 8-10 minuter. Låt kallna under bakduk.

Pear Tart with Ginger and Vanilla Frangipane

My kitchen smells like a French pâtisserie right now, and it is not a bad thing. I have never been to Paris, but I know for a fact that I would eat my way though every little pastry shop if I had the chance.

This pear tart with ginger and vanilla frangipane makes a perfect transition from summer to fall. It is sweet and light with Asian pears, but at the same time rustic with its butter cookie type of crust and smooth almond pastry cream.

Our nearby Grosvenor Market had just gotten some Asian Pears from one of the local farms, and they looked so delicious, I knew I just had to bake something. Somehow locally grown produce always tastes better.

Before I made this tart, I had never heard about frangipane. I learned it's an almond pastry cream used in Italian and French pastries, which dates back to the mid-1600's. Then, it was more of a custard scented with almonds, but later became what we today enjoy as a cream made of almonds and butter. A fun fact, it was apparently named after an Italian noble man named Frangipane, who introduced almond scented gloves that were a big hit in the 1800's. Who would have thought?

This tart has a delicious twist to its frangipane - it uses fresh ginger, which pairs beautifully with the pears. (No pun intended.)

Now, let me tell you a few secrets when it comes to getting beautiful pie and tart crusts. When you have mixed all of the ingredients, make sure you wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for a half hour. Afterward, when you have rolled it (or pressed it) out in the form, put it in the freezer for a little while before you transfer it to the oven. This will help the dough to keep its shape in the heat. Another great thing is dried yellow peas or ceramic balls (see picture a little further down) that you put in the pie shell before you bake it. This will help the bottom of the pie to bake into an even layer, which looks beautiful when you slice the pie. When I make my high quiche, I even put tin foil around the edges to make sure they stay high and even.

This crust recipe is meant for a little larger form, but I only had a smaller sized one, so the crust ended up being a little thicker than I would have liked. Too much of the good stuff!

Serve this beauty with ice cream or whipped cream. I prefer the consistency of whipped cream to this tart, since the frangipane has such a fluffy and delicate texture.

Pear Tart with Ginger and Vanilla Frangipane
from the blog I huvudet på Elvaelva

Crust:
300 g flour
90 g granulated sugar
200 g butter
2 eggs
1 large pinch baking powder
1 pinch salt

Frangipane:
150 g almond flour
135 g granulated sugar
125 g butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla sugar
Ginger

Filling:
3-4 pears
Almonds, sliced
2 tbsp apricot marmelade

Directions:

For the pie crust: Cream the sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs and mix until it forms a smooth batter. 

Put plastic wrap around the dough, and let rest in the fridge for a half hour or more. Remove from the fridge and press the dough into a pie form or spring form pan. 

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F. Put the pie form in the freezer for 5-10 minutes so that the dough hardens. Prick the pie crust with a fork, and add ceramic balls to make sure the crust bakes evenly. I usually put down some parchment paper before, since it will make it easier to remove the balls later. Let bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is almost done. Remove from the oven and let cool. 

Frangipane: Mix together sugar and butter. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until a loose batter. Add ginger after your own liking. I ended up using about a teaspoon.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Fill the pie crust with frangipane. Cut 5 mm thin pear slices, and arrange them on top, lightly pressing them down into the frangipane. 

Add the almond slices. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then increase the temperature to 395 degrees F and let bake for another 15 minutes. The tart should have a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To get that beautiful shiny top of the tart, slowly heat 2 tablespoons of apricot marmalade in a saucepan. Brush the pie with the melted marmalade. Now, isn't that beautiful! This is something that you can use to make fruit cakes or tarts look as shiny and delicious as the ones you see at bakeries.

Enjoy your baking!

Pärontarte med frangipane, ingefära och vanilj
från bloggen I huvudet på Elvaelva

Pajdeg:
5 dl vetemjöl
1 dl strösocker
200 gr smör
2 ägg
1 rejäl nypa bakpulver
1 nypa salt
en skvätt vatten
(ev. några nävar torkade gula ärtor)

Frangipane:
3 dl mandelmjöl
1.5 dl strösocker
125 gr smör
2 ägg
1 tsk vaniljpulver
ingefära

Fyllning:
3-4 st smakrika päron
en näve mandelflarn
ev. ett par msk aprikos- eller apelsinmarmelad

Gör så här:

Pajskal: Knåda ihop socker och smör i en bunke, sikta i mjöl, bakpulver och salt. Knäck ner äggen och blanda runt allting till en jämn deg. Vira lite plastfolie runt degen och ställ i kylen att vila en halvtimme eller mer. Kavla sedan ut degen och tryck ner i en låg pajform(gärna en variant med avtagbar kant).

Sätt ugnen på 180°. Ställ pajformen i frysen 5-10 minuter så degen stelnar . Nagga sedan pajskalet med en gaffel och häll ner några nävar torkade gula ärtor (detta gör att pajskalet håller sig på plats i ugnen, och inte rasar ihop eller bubblar upp). Sätt in i ugnen i ca. 20 minuter tills skalet är nästan färdiggräddat. Ta ut och låt svalna.

Frangipane: Knåda ihop strösocker och smör i en bunke, häll sedan ner resten av ingredienserna. Blanda ihop till en lös smet och smaksätt med så mycket ingefära du önskar.

Paj: Sätt ugnen på 150°. Bred ut frangipane-krämen i pajskalet. Skär 5 mm tunna skivor av frukten, lägg på i ett fint mönster ovanpå och tryck till lite så de hamnar en bit ner i krämen. Strö över mandelflarn (tips: så fort jag bakar någonting som innehåller någon form av nötter så brukar jag även dekorera med dem – det gör det enklare för nötallergiker att snabbt se vad de kan och inte kan äta) och sätt sedan in pajen i ugnen. Förgrädda i ca. 30 minuter. Höj sedan värmen till 200° och låt pajen stå ytterligare 10-15 minuter tills krämen börjar sätta sig och få lite gyllenbrun färg på ytan. Ta ut pajen och låt den svalna.

Tips: Vill du få lite glansig yta på din gräddade paj? Ta då några matskedar aprikos- eller apelsinmarmelad och värm försiktigt på spisen. Pensla sedan pajtäcket med den smälta marmeladen.

Aron's Birthday Cakes

 

 

Yesterday was my nephew Aron's 9th birthday, and I surprised him by making a LEGO themed cake and a m&m cake. This is a kid who absolutely loves Legos, so you can imagine how excited he was when he saw it!

 

 

Since we're still in Sweden, I don't have access to all of my baking gear I normally use when making fondant cakes. The good thing is that you can get far by improvising and using regular kitchen utensils. However, I owe a huge thanks to my awesome hubby for shipping the Lego mold that I purchased from Amazon a couple of weeks back, all the way to Sweden, just so I could get it in time for making the cake. Not having to shape the big blocks by hand saved me a lot of time. The rest of the cake was a whole other story. It involved a small pairing knife and going to bed at 5 am in the morning.

This was the second themed birthday cake I have ever made, and it was so much fun. I found a lot of inspiration online, and just had fun with it! I'm one of those parents who love to use my kids as an excuse to play with their playdough, and working with fondant is just about the same.

 

 

The m&m cake was also a lot of fun to put together. I have been wanting to try it ever since I saw it on Pinterest, and was amazed at how easy it was to make. All you need is a straw, some glue and a bag of m&m's. And a cake, of course! Glue the m&ms on to the straw (leaving some empty space at both ends), stick it in to the cake, and place the empty bag on top. 



 

 

 

The cake had a gooey chocolate base made from two milk chocolate kladdkakas and a layer of strawberry mousse in between. I didn't use any frosting on the sides of the cake, instead I melted some chocolate and brushed some on each chocolate finger to make sure they would stick. The tastiest kind of glue there is, if you ask me.

 



 

 

The kids all loved the surprise, and I had so much fun making it. Once again, Happy 9th birthday, sweet Aron!

Swedish Cinnamon Roll Braid

There's something really simple, homey and absolutely delicious about a cinnamon roll. It has always played an important role in Swedish fika culture, and now we're not talking about the American Cinnabon version with all that heavy frosting (even though they are delish!), but her modest Swedish cousin, the kanelbulle.

So, what makes the Swedish cinnamon roll different from the American one? Well, I'm glad you asked! Kanelbullen is a little less sweet, it uses freshly ground cardamom in the dough, and has pearl sugar as a topping instead of frosting. It is also baked at a higher heat for a shorter time, which gives it a light crust on top that is so incredibly satisfying.

The boys and I are visiting family in Sweden right now, and since I am in the land of fika, I felt inspired to bake something Swedish. I had never made a cinnamon roll braid before, but always thought they looked pretty, so I gave it a go. Even though they might look complicated, they are actually a lot quicker to make than individual rolls.

There are so many recipes for Swedish cinnamon buns, but I found one that sounded a little extra yummy. It uses sirap in the dough and filling. Sirap, also known as golden syrup, has the consistency of molasses, but tastes more like a caramel maple syrup. You can find it at your local IKEA, in the food market section. I would say you could maybe substitute maple syrup for sirap, but it's a little runnier in it's consistency and I'm not sure how that would play out. Besides, you're probably due for another IKEA round anyway!

The recipe I used makes 40-50 buns or 4 large cinnamon roll braids, so you can definitely cut it in half and still end up with plenty of fika. Or you can make the whole recipe and keep three in the freezer for unexpected guests!

Here's a little tutorial on how to make the braid.

If using the recipe as it is, making 4 braids, you will have to cut the dough in half. Once you've done that, roll it out into a rectangle. Spread half of that delicious filling on top.

Cut the rectangle in half.

Roll the first half in toward the middle, while making sure the edge ends up under the roll. Transfer it onto a lined baking sheet.

Using a pair of scissors, make 1/4 inch wide cuts, without cutting all the way through the bottom.

Push the cut pieces to the side, alternating left and right.

Repeat all of the steps for the second roll.

Brush the braids with a whisked egg, and sprinkle the pearl sugar and almond slices on top. Let rise under a towel for 45 minutes, and then bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

And this is the result!

I wish you could smell all of the wonderful warm cinnamon in this picture...

Have a wonderful weekend, friends, and happy baking!

Kanelbullar

from Ur Min Kokbok

 

Makes 40-50 buns or 4 braids

 

Dough

17 fl oz milk

50 g fresh or 12 g dry yeast

45 grams sugar 

100 ml light sirap

1 tsp grind cardamom 

800-900 g flour

150 gram butter

1 tsp salt

 

Filling

200 gram butter

90 g sugar

100 ml sirap

s1/3 cup shredded almond paste

vanilla sugar

4-5 tbsp. cinnamon

Garnish
1 egg, beaten
Pearl sugar
sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Heat the milk to 99 degrees F. Mix some of the milk with the crumbled yeast and pour the rest of the milk into the mixture. (If using dry yeast, follow the instructions on the package.) Add salt, sugar, cardamom, sirap, and lastly flour. Mix well.
2. Divide the butter into small cubes and add to the dough. Add more flour if needed.
3. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. In the meantime, make the filling and set aside.
4. Put the dough on a work surface and knead it for a few minutes, then divide it in two. Roll the dough into a rectangle and spread half of the filling on top.
5. Roll the rectangle in toward the middle and move to a covered baking sheet.
6. Using scissors, cut the roll into 1/2 inch slices, but make sure you leave some space at the bottom, so you don't cut all the way though. Pull the pieces to the sides, every other right and left. 
7. Brush the braids with egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar and sliced almond. Let rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 395 degrees F.
8. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

Kanelbullar

från bloggen Ur Min Kokbok
 

Ca 40-50 
 

Deg

5 dl mjölk

50 g jäst

0,5 dl socker

1 dl ljus sirap

1 tsk stött kardemumma

13-15 dl vetemjöl

150 gram smör

1 tsk salt

 

Fyllning

200 gram smör

1 dl socker

1 dl sirap

riven mandelmassa ( ca 0,5 dl riven, lite efter behag)

vaniljpulver

4-5 msk kanel

Garnering
1 vispat ägg
Pärlsocker
Skivade mandlar

 

1. Värm mjölken till 37 grader. Blanda lite av mjölken med jästen och häll sedan i resten av mjölken. Tillsätt salt, socker, sirap och till sist mjöl. Blanda väl, den kommer vara kletig! 

2. TIllsätt smöret i kuber och låt bearbetas i maskin i ca 10 min, tillsätt mer mjöl om det behövs (det kan se omöjligt ut till en början, men låt maskinen jobba och smöret kommer arbetas in tillslut. Degen blir nu otroligt lätt att arbeta med och man behöver inte tillsätta så mycket mjöl). 

3. Jäs i 1 h. Under tiden blandar du fyllningen, jag brukar köra allt i en mixer så det blandas ordentligt.

4. Ta upp degen ur bunken och knåda några minuter. Dela i 2 delar. Kavla ut en rektangel, ca ½ cm tjock. Bred på hälften av fyllningen. Dela rektangeln på mitten.
4. Rulla ihop rektanglarna och lägg dem brett isär på en plåt med bakplåtspapper.
5. Klipp rullarna i centimetertjocka skivor men spara ca 1 cm nedtill så att de sitter ihop. Dra bitarna åt sidan, varannan höger och varannan vänster. Dra ut dem en bit till så att bitarna ligger lutade bakåt.
6. Pensla längderna med uppvispat ägg och strö över sötmandel. Låt dem jäsa under bakduk i ca 30 min. Sätt ugnen på 200 grader.
7. Grädda längderna längst ner i ugnen i 25–30 min. Låt dem svalna på plåten.