Delicate chocolate tartlets with a delicious raspberry cream

Oh I know, I know… I should feel ashamed…I haven't been posting for some months now but hopefully I can make it up with this delicious little babies :-) 

We all know summer is over but we still can find some last signs of it… I've found mine ;-) My favorite raspberries!! And yes! they are just devoured! Imagine a shortcrust chocolate tartlets that are so extremely delicate they just melt in your mouth, they are not too sweet and just have the perfect amount of chocolate, topped with a soft and delicate raspberry cream which makes them to die for!!! Not bad eh?! 

I have to confess I ate 3 of them in one go ;-)

Ingredients:
For the tartlets:
makes approx 12 tartlets: 

• 2 cups of flour (take away 3 tablespoons of flour and replace with dark cocoa powder) 
• 200g cold butter
• 1/3 cup of powder sugar
• 2 yolks 

For the raspberry cream:

• 250g fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1,5 teaspoons of gelatin (melted in 1/6 cup hot water, or just follow the instruction on the package)
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon potato flour or cornflour disolved in one tablespoon of water
• 250g mascarpone 

Preparation:

For the chocolate tartlets: Cut the cold butter in pieces, add all ingredients and quickly mix everything together. Place into the fridge for 30min. 

Take a muffin pan and grease it with butter or oil. Place the dough directly into the pan, no need to use the paper cases as the surface will be greasy so the dough will not stick to the pan. Bake for apporx 13-15 min in 200C. 

Leave them to cool down completely before frosting.

For the raspberry cream: Place the raspberries together with sugar in a small pot, on a low heat warm them up until the sugar melts completely. Add lemon juice, water with flour, mix it all, bring everything to cook and take away from the burner. Take a half of the raspberries and rub them through a strainer, throw the seeds away. Mix the retained sauce with the other half. Very gently add the melted gelatin trying to avoid crumbles. Cool down until the sauce gets thicker. You can place it into the fridge to speed up the process. 

In a bowl of an electric mixer combine together mascarpone and the cool raspberry sauce until it all gets smooth. Frost the cooled tartlets as desired. I piped mine with a piping bag using Wilton's 1M tip and decorated them with a fresh raspberry on top!! 

And now…. just sit down, relax and enjoy!!!!!!!!! 

Easter Cookies!

Hurray!! Its Easter!! I was really looking forward to decorate this cookies! I loved it! And I think they came out sweet :) Easter brings spring which means the days are becoming longer and finally we get some more sun! So I really was happy to use this joyful spring colors! Try it and have fun and Happy Easter!!!


Ingredients:
For the cookies: 
makes 10-15 large or 25-30 medium

• 250g butter
• 250g sugar
• 1 egg (if you are not planning to do royal icing use 2 eggs)
• 1 yolk (keep the egg white for your royal icing)
• 1 package of vanilla sugar (16g)
• 400g flour

For the Royal Icing:

• 1 egg white
• 250g powder sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract - optional
• food coloring - 

Preparation:

For the cookies: In a bowl of an electric mixer beet the butter and sugars together until creamy and fluffy. Ad the egg and the yolk and mix until all combines. Now add the flour in few stages and mix until all ingredients come together. Take your dough out of the bowl and cover with clingfilm and refrigerate at least for 30min.

Take your dough out of the fridge, sprinkle some flour on the work surface and roll out the cookie dough to about 5mm thick. 

Using cookie cutters cut your cookie shapes and place them on baking trays lines with baking paper. Return to the refrigerator to rest again for at least 30 min. 

Preheat the oven at 180C for about 10min. 

Bake the cookies for about 15min, depending on their size or until they get a nice golden brown color. 

Leave them to cool down completely before decorating them with royal icing or storing them. 

For the royal icing: Sift the powder sugar into a mixing bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg white and mix together for about 20min. Until the icing has reached a stiff-peak consistency (which is what you would need for sticking on decorations and gluing cakes together). We will need two consistencies stiff-peak and flooding consistency. Once you are happy with your icing consistency color your icing using eatable food colorings. Pour the icing into the piping bags and start from outlining around the edge of each cookie. Then with the same icing flood inside the outlines on the cookies. Leave for 8 hours to set. Once the icing is hard you can start with your baskets>> here you can find a nice tutorial on how to do the Easter basket cookies! Enjoy!!

Here some variations :) 

Coconut Cupcakes with Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting

This colorful cupcakes went to a two years old baby girl for her birthday party :) And they had to match a great theme of the party which was The Masha and the Bear :) It was really great fun to bake for this occasion! 

The cupcakes were not only very funny but also veeeery tasty! The moist, flavorful and aromatic muffin made a perfect match with the delicate, vanilla mascarpone frosting :) Just delicious!!

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

makes approx 12-15 muffins

• 1 1/2 cup of flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 120g butter, very soft
• 100g desiccated coconut

For the frosting:

• 250g cream cheese (I used mascarpone)
• 1/2 cup powder sugar
• 16 gr vanilla sugar
• 150g butter, soft
• Food coloring. I've used red mixed with a bit of blue, and green but you can use whatever color you like :)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C and place 12-14 paper cases into muffin tins. 

For the muffins: Beat butter with sugar and a pinch of salt, add eggs, milk and whisk all together. Add flour, baking powder and coconut and whist until combined. Remember that the mixture doesn’t have to be perfectly pale :) Evenly divide the mixture between the paper cases. Remember to fill the cases only 2/3 of their height because they like to grow :) Bake approximately 25 minutes and leave to cool down. 

For the frosting: With a mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter when it combines add sugars and beat until combined and smooth. Divide the frosting in 2 parts adding to each of them a different color, mix until combined. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. I piped them with a piping bag using Wilton's 1M tip. 

Ready to be delivered :-)

 And that is how they matched the great Masha and the Bear party that was designed by Perfect Packages

Valentine's Day Vanilla Loaf Cake

"Love is the happiness of today, and promise of tomorrow, so this warm note comes to you, to say that you must live life with a heart full of love. 

Happy Valentine's Day my Love!"

I always wanted to prepare one of those hidden design cakes and I thought Valentine's Day is a perfect day to try! I was right! I think it looks beautiful and I am sure everyone will love the hidden heart inside this delicious cake! Try it and surprise your Love by preparing this so simple but special loaf cake! 

Ingredients:

For the red cake:

• 175g butter
• 175g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100g yoghurt
• 175 flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 package vanilla sugar
• red food color

For the vanilla cake:

• 4 eggs
• 200g sugar 
• 1 package of vanilla sugar (16g)
• 150 g of butter
• 3 drops of vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 100g of natural yogurt
• 240 g flour

Preheat your oven to 175ºC and prepare a teacake mould.

For the red cake: Using an electronic mixer cream the sugars and butter until cream and fluffy. Add eggs and keep whisking, add flour with the baking powder and mix until all ingredients combine. Add yoghurt and whisk again. Add so much food color to turn the mixture red. Make sure the color is distributed evenly. 

Pour the mixture into the baking tin and bake for approx 35min or until well-risen and firm to touch. Leave to cool down. When the cake is cool using a cookie cutter cut out heart shapes. 

For the vanilla cake: To make the vanilla cake follow the same steps as for the red cake except adding the red color :) 

Place enough plain mixture into the tin to cover the base with a layer of mixture that is 3cm deep. Place the red hearts along the centre of the tin on top of the plain cake mixture. Fill the tin with the remaining plain cake mixture, carefully covering the row of the red hearts. 

Bake for approx 45min or until the cake is firm to the touch. You can check to see that it's ready by sticking a cocktail stick into the centre of the cake. It should come out clean and not sticky, if it is still sticky just leave it in the oven for 5-10 minutes more. Leva to cool down in tin. 

Happy Velentine's Day!! 

With a cookie cutter cut our heart shapes

Place the red hearts along the centre of the tin on top of the plain cake mixture. Fill the tin with the remaining batter.

Once the cake is done it should look like this :)

I wish you a lovely Day!

Valentine's Day Cookies

So is it true you also can't wait for Valentine's Day? I am here in a baking and decorating mood! I think cookies can be a perfect sweet gift for the one you love! I think they look so wonderful, so much in love and of course the taste is also delicious!

Just be creative Valentine's Day is only once a year <3

Ingredients:
For the cookies: 
makes 10-15 large or 25-30 medium

• 250g butter
• 250g sugar
• 1 egg (if you are not planning to do royal icing use 2 eggs)
• 1 yolk (keep the egg white for your royal icing)
• 1 package of vanilla sugar (16g)
• 400g flour

For the Royal Icing:

• 1 egg white
• 250g powder sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract - optional
• food coloring - I used red and pink

Preparation:

For the cookies: In a bowl of an electric mixer beet the butter and sugars together until creamy and fluffy. Ad the egg and the yolk and mix until all combines. Now add the flour in few stages and mix until all ingredients come together. Take your dough out of the bowl and cover with clingfilm and refrigerate at least for 30min.

Take your dough out of the fridge, sprinkle some flour on the work surface and roll out the cookie dough to about 5mm thick. 

Using cookie cutters cut your cookie shapes and place them on baking trays lines with baking paper. Return to the refrigerator to rest again for at least 30 min. 

Preheat the oven at 180C for about 10min. 

Bake the cookies for about 15min, depending on their size or until they get a nice golden brown color. 

Leave them to cool down completely before decorating them with royal icing or storing them. 

For the royal icing: Sift the powder sugar into a mixing bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg white and mix together for about 10min. Until the icing has reached a stiff-peak consistency (which is what you would need for sticking on decorations and gluing cakes together). But we now need a thinner consistency of icing in order to be able to create this beautiful roses. You will have to add some water to the icing but do this step by step. To get the best consistency I have used the 10 seconds rule - you can find may tutorials on royal icing. Once you are happy with your icing consistency color your icing using eatable food colorings. Pour the icing into the piping bags and start from outlining around the edge of each cookie. Then with the same icing flood inside the outlines on the cookies. Immediately before the icing starts to dry put some dots on the icing and with a toothpick make some swirls or zig-zags to get different designs. Here you can find a nice tutorial on how to do the Royal Icing Hearts Hope you enjoyed!!! 

Smarties Party!! Carrot Cake Cupcakes in their fun outfits!

This funny request came from a young boy celebrating his 3rd Birthday! He is totally crazy for Smarties so there was no other option but to prepare his birthday cakes decorated with Smarties!

I have to admit I had soooo much fun while decorating the cupcakes. Each one had a different expression and I really felt like a kid again while drawing their little faces! 

For the muffins I used my recipe for the carrot cake cupcakes and iced them with a smooth cream cheese frosting. And of course I had to pump the frosting up with some colors to match the crazy Smarties. I think they went out great and the birthday kid was also very happy!! 

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 350g flour 
• 120g caster sugar
• 150ml buttermilk or normal milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 150 g butter, melted
• 150g brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice 
• 3 grated carrots
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1package vanilla sugar (16g)
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 100g hopped walnuts - optional 
• 100g raisins - optional

For the frosting

• 250g cream cheese (I used mascarpone)
• 1/2 cup powder sugar
• 16 gr vanilla sugar
• 150g butter, soft
• Food coloring. I've used red, yellow and blue but you can use whatever color you like :)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners. 

In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and soda, caster sugar, brown sugar, mixed spice, carrots, walnuts and raisins. Add milk, egg and melted butter. Mix until just combined, but doesn't have to be too precise. With a spoon scoop evenly into the prepared cupcake liners. Remember to fill the muffin cases only 3/4 cavity otherwise they might overflow. You might have some mixture for the 13th and 15th cupcake, depending on the measures of your cupcake tin. Bake for about 20min and leave to cool down. 

For the frosting: With a mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter when it combines add sugars and beat until combined and smooth. Divide the frosting in 3 parts adding to each of them a different color, mix until combined. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. I piped them with a piping bag using Wilton's 1M tip. 

Aren't they just adorable??? I think they are colorful and fun just perfect for a Birthday Party!! 

Of course a Birthday Cake couldn't be missing!! So here we go! A Smarties Cake to match the cupcakes :) 

Halloween Spiced Pumpkin Muffins with a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Trick or treat???? I'm definitely the treat one ;) Halloween is a perfect excuse for those who love sweets! You can have as many candies as you want!!!! On this day your motto should be: " Eat, drink and be scary!" 

You will love the spiced pumpkin muffins! The pumpkin puree makes the muffins super moist and soft and the cinnamon frosting gives them a perfect touch! 

Ingredients:

makes approx. 24 muffins*

• 325g light brown sugar
• 100g unsalted butter, softened 
• 4 medium eggs
• 240g plain flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¾ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 115g buttermilk
• 280g pumpkin puree

*Recipe adapted from Peggy Porschen

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 250g mascarpone
• 100g softened butter
• 200g icing sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation: 

For the muffins:

Pre-heat the oven to 175°C and line the muffin tins with cupcake cases.

Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly. Place the pumpkin puree, salt buttermilk and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir together by hand with a balloon whisk until all well mixed.

Add the eggs one at a time to the mixture, whisking well in between each addition.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, backing soda and spices and add this to the liquid mixture in two batches, lightly stirring through with the whisk. Lastly, add the melted butter and gently incorporate this with the whisk again until just mixed in.

With a spoon scoop evenly into the prepared cupcake liners. Remember to fill the muffin cases only 3/4 cavity otherwise they might overflow. The mixture will be quite liquid but don't worry it is just like it should be!

Bake for approx. 18 minutes. You can check tif the muffins are ready by sticking a cocktail stick into the centre of each muffin. It should come out clean. Cool down before frosting.

For the frosting: In a mixing bowl beat the butter, add mascarpone and beat all together, add sugar and cinnamon. Don't get scared if you see that the ingredients start separating from each other forming crumbles, just keep whisking. It might take a while but everything will combine don't worry!