Coconut Cupcakes

If you like coconut you'll really enjoy these cupcakes. I love the moisture of the cake, it is so tasty and spongy. And topped with the shredded coconut flakes it's a great idea for Easter. I love walk around the store and have a look to all easter stuff, I would like to buy everything! When I saw this cute m&m's special eddition I could not wait to buy them, I love the colors. Latter I saw this idea in pinterest, specially from the blog of I heart nap time, so I had alreay the eggs to top my own cupcakes. For the cake I did my own coconut recipe.

INGREDIENTS makes 6-8 cupcakes
60 g unsalted butter at room temperature
100 g white sugar (I use caster)
1 large egg
100 g all-purpouse flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
120 ml coconut milk

Preheat the ovet to 180º.

Sift the flour and the baking powder, set aside. Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream with and electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add the flour alterning with the coconut milk and beat on low speed until combined. 

Divide the mixture between the cupcakes cases. Bake 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out dry, or with just few crumbs, make sure you don't overbake or they will become so dry. Remove from the oven, let them in the tin for 5 minutes and finally let them cool completely in a wire rack before decorating.

Coconut Frosting:
30 g unsalted butter at room temperature
50 g cream cheese
100 g icing sugar
1 teaspoon whole milk
30 g shredded coconut flakes plus more for decorate

Sift the icing sugar in a separete bowl. Cream the butter until fluffy, add the sugar, the milk and  beat until well mixed, pale and fluffy. Add the cream cheese  continue mixing until thikens, finally add the coconut. 

Spread the frosting using a spatula on each cupcake and garnish with the coconut. For Easter time it is great to top them with some m&m easter eggs.

These cupcakes are best the day they are baked but they can be also stored in the refrigerator for a few days since it is necessary because of the cream cheese. Leave for a while on  room temperature before serving.

Enjoy and Happy Easter  ♥♥♥

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

♥♥♥