Chocolate Guinness Cake

Last sunday I did the famous Guinness Cake, it was just an excuse for Saint Patrick, we did not celebrated it but I had to prepare something since we had visitors in the afternoon and that was a succes choice. I don't want to test with this recipe so I used Nigella Lawson one for the sponge but this time I changed the topping. I used mascarpone instead cream cheese and I added ginger and  vanilla to the cream and the result is lovely.
If you never tasted this cake you have to know it doesn't taste as Guinness beer, so don't worry if you don't like this beer. All the alcohol is gonne before the baking, since it is necessary to boil it in a pan, so it's make this cake also suitable for children.

INGREDIENTS makes a 23 cm tin

Sponge: (by Nigella Lawson)
250 ml Guinness

250 g unsalted butter

75 g dutch cocoa powder

400 g caster sugar

140 ml sour cream

2 medium eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

275 g plain flour

2,5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For de topping:
250 g mascarpone cheese
125 ml whipped cream
1 stem ginger ball (the type in syrup)
80 g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar

Preheat the ovet to 180º.
Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan with the cubed butter and heat until butter is melted. Whisk in the cocoa and the sugar. In a separate bowl beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pur into the mixture and finally add the flour and the bicarbonate.
Pour the mixture in a greased tin and bak for 45-60 minutes. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack.

Using a hand whisk beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar, do not over stir, otherwise the mascarpone may split and become grany. Add the ginger finely chopped. In a separate bowl beat the cream with an electric whisk until it forms peaks. Add the cream into the mixture and stir using an spatula gently until well combined.

Top with using an spatula creating the frothy top of the famous pint.

Irish Cream Cupcakes

In celebration of Saint Patrick's Day I added some of the traditional whisky cream in a cupcake, with a chocolate sponge and a touch of coffee which could be a mix of the famous irish coffee. 

The sponge recipe is adapted of the Alma's Book recipe.

INGREDIENTS makes 6 cupcakes

55 g butter  at room temperature

60 g white sugar

1 large egg

75 g all-purpose flour

25 g cocoa powder

40 ml whole milk

30 ml irish cream

Preheat the oveb to 160º and prepare the baking tin.

In a bowl sift the flour and the baking powder, the cocoa and set aside. Cream the butter and the sugar in the mixing bowl and beat it until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients altering with the milk and the the irish cream and beat until incorporated.

Divide the mixture between the cupcakes cases. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let them in the tin for 5 minutes, latter cool them on a wire rack before decorate.

Frosting:

150 g icing sugar

60 g butter at room temperature

25 ml irish cream

Sift the icing sugar and set aside. Cream the butter until smooth and add the sugar gradually. Add the irish cream and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy.

Coffee syrup for filling and topping: 

100 g of sugar

50 ml water

1/2 cup of espresso 

Make and espresso coffee. Combine the sugar and water in a pan over medium heat and cook until sugar is melted. Put down the heat and add in the espresso little by little. Stir until well combined and put the heat little bit higher and stir until mixture thinkens. Remove from heat and let it cool. Store in a glass jar at room temperature. 

Fill the cupcakes with the coffee syrup. Decorate with the buttercream and drizzle with some more syrup. I garnished also with some coffee chocolate beans.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day ♣♣♣

Quiche Alsacienne

After so many sweet recipes published I was looking foward to post one of my favorite quiches. Actually I use to make some other versions, this is one of the things I love of quiches, which is a very versatile dish.  It is also quite quick to prepare, very tasty and a good alternative to delight a dinner as a starter or a main dish with a nice salad. I specially love this one which I put a lot of pine nuts and it taste absolutly delicious and crunchy.

It suposed that spring is coming, but here I think it will take still long to arrive, maybe you can not apreciate in the picture, but there is a light layer of snow outside, so this time I enjoyed the quiche warm, but I think it is perfect for a summer picinc served with a fresh salad.

INGREDIENTS
For the pastry:
100 g butter cold and cubed
150 g all-purpouse flour
1/2 teaspoon slat
a pinch of black peper
1 large egg

For de filling:
3 medium red onion
150 g bacon
100 g pine nutes
100 g Gruyère cheese, grated
salt and peper
125 g crème fraîche
2 large eggs

To make the pastry, sift together the flour and the salt, add the cubed butter, the peper and knead usind your hands until completely mixed and crumbly. Add the egg and continue kneating until combined. Roll the dough into a ball and wrap it with plastic, leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 175º.

In the meantime, slice the onion into rings and slice the bacon. Cook the bacon in a pan until crisp. In the same pan cook the onion. and the mix it with the bacon. Set aside.

Roll out the pastry on a light floured surface and line a buttered tin. Cover with baking parchment and the fil it with baking beans. Place the tray and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the beans and the parchment and bake for 5 more minutes to cook the base. Remove from the oven. 

Fill the tin with the mixture of onion and bacon, cover with the pine nutes. Combine the 2 eggs and the crème fraîche, add some salt and peper. Cover the tin with this cream and top with the grated cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes until it gets golden.

You can use any cheese you like, but I would recommend you to use a strong one such as gruyère, cheedar or parmesan. Quiche can be served cold or warm.

Enjoy!

♥♥♥

Brownie Cookies

As a good chocolate lover I love brownies, I think it is one of the most tempting recipe for all those who love chocolate. These cookies are based in the brownie cake, they are moist and juicy, soft inside and crunchy outside, and all makes an irresistible delight contrast in every bite. I just love them! You can add and combine other ingredients such as nuts or berries, I tried them also with walnuts and blue berries, I can assure they taste also absolutly delicious, but this time I invite you to try the classic recipe.

INGREDIENTS makes about 24 cookies
200 g dark chocolate
40 g butter
2 big eggs
130 g sugar
2 teaspoons pure cacao powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
35 g flour
80 g dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180º. 

Melt de chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl in a saucepan of simmering water and stir untile melted. Set aside and let it cold completly.

In the meanwhile beat the sugar, eggs, salt, coffee, vanilla and cocoa powder using and electric mixer until smooth. Add the cool melted chocolate and mix until combined. Add the flour and mix with and spatula, just until combined, do not overmix. Finally add the chocolate chips and incorporate with the spatula.

Drop dough using a tablespoon or an icecream scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheets (or a silicona mat), make sure you leave space between each other. Bake for 8-9 minutes and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. 

Recipe adapted from in this blog.

They are prefect to eat with a cold milk glass or also perfect to serve with icecream. You can keep them in an airtight container up to 5 days, well if you can resist it!

It is a very easy and quick recipe. You can also use chopped chocolate instead of chips, and combine white or milk chocolate.

Hope you enjoy these cookies :D

♥♥♥

Dutch Apple Tart

In the Netherlands the apple tart (appeltaart) is very famous and traditional, it is listed almost in every café menu.  Certainly everyone does it slightly different, but all of them follow the same style.  It looks quite high and with a thicker pastry, also presented with pastry lattice on the top. I rather prefer without pastry on the top, and instead I cover it with more apple slices.
Since I'm here I had the chance to try some of them in different cafes, always with a nice cappuccino, by the way here also the cappuccinos taste lovely, but what better to bake your own appel tart at home.
Here in the supermarkets you can get recipes cards for free, looks like a postcard stand and you can get as much as you want. They change it regulary, so in one of these times I took the recipe for this appeltaart, and I did some small changes.

Lemon and Blueberry Tart

Do you remember the Dulce de Leche tart I showed you few weeks ago? So this is the same style, a no-bake tart. Made with condensed milk and whipped cream, with no eggs and a strong taste of lemon which makes it absolulty refreshing and delicious. A very quick tart that has a lot of taste varieties. I like to put some berries, you can mix it with the filling, I rather to top with blueberries the tart just before serving.

INGREDIENTS makes a 23 cm tin
200 g cookies (such as maria or digestives)
75 g unsalted butter
397 g condensed milk (a full can)
250 ml whipped cream
4 lemons
4 gelatin sheets
blueberries for topping (or filling)

Crush the cookies and mix them with the melted butter, cover the tart tin pressing with the back of the spoon. Refrigerate it for 20 minutes.

In the meanwhile make the filling. Put the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes. Mix the condensed milk with the zest of the lemons and the juice of two of them. Drain the gelatin and put into a pan with a little part of the mixture, watch out do not everheat. Once the geatin is completly disolved remove from heating and let it cool completly before mix it back with the rest of the mixture.

In a separate bowl beat the cream with an electric whisk until it forms peaks. Add the cream to the mixture and stir with and spatula gently until well combined.

Fill the tin with this mixture, if you prefer you can add some blueberries in the filling now.

Refrigerate at least for 4 hours or better overnight.
Top with blueberries before serving.

You can keep it in the frige up to 3 days. Use a large knife dipped in boiled water to cut the tart.

If you haven't participate to my giveaway you can do it pressing here.

♥♥♥

Praline Custard Pots

Natillas is the spanish term to name this delicious dessert very popular in Spain. It is a curstad dish made with milk, egg yolks, sugar and, with a touch of vanilla or lemon. The most common is with vanilla but it is also popular to add other tastes such as chocolate or cinnamon. My mum and my granny used to prepare them quite often when we were children. It is really easy and quick to make. I used their recipe but I added hazelnut praliné and it taste absolutly delicious.

INGREDIENTS 6 serves
600 ml whole milk
3 egg yolks
80 g sugar
9 g vanilla sugar
20 g cornstarch
100 g praline

Whisk the egg yolks and the sugars in a bowl until smooth. Put the milk and the constrach in a saucepan and whisk until the constrach is completly disolved. Add the sugar and egg yolks mixture and cook over low heat whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Add the praline and continue whisking until it starts to thiken, remove from heat and pour the mixture in the moldes, let them cool completly and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

You can top with caramelized hazelnuts.

If you haven't participate to my giveaway you can still do it pressing here.

♥♥♥