Mango Tart

Hello! how was your weekend? Mine was perfect and one of the reasons is that I bought a new bicycle, I´m really in love with it! You can have a look to it on my instagram. Since the moment I arrive in the Netherlands I was looking foward to have one like this, so I´m so excited with it! Today I even got sad cause it was raining and I could not cycle, I know! here no matter if it rains, snows or winds, everybody cycles anyway, but I´m not enough adapted, not yet!

Todays recipes is fresh, yummy, quick to make and the best thing is a no bake tart! For the base I used biscuits with stem ginger, which gives an special touch to this tart. I got the biscuits in the box of Degustabox. You can easily use your favorite biscuit, or add real stem ginger to the mixture.

No bake Mango Tart

makes a 20 cm round pan 
crust:

200 g cookies (I used ginger cookies)
75 g melted butter
filling:
300 g fresh mango, peeled and cored, plus some more to decorate

100 g condensed milk
250 ml heavy cream
4 sheets gelatin

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

In the meanwhile prepare the filling. Blend the mango and mix in the condensed milk. Put the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes. Put some of the heavy cream, about 30 ml in the pan and heat it, remove just when starts boiling. Drain the gelatin and put into the pan, mix it well. Let it cool before mix it back with the rest of the mixture.

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

Fill the pan, level and refrigerate at least for 4 hours or better overnight.

Before serving slice some extra mango and decorate the cake, I used some fresh menta as well. 

If you liked this cake you can have a look to this one with lemon and blueberries.

Have a nice week  ♥

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

You all probably are familiar to cakes made with a vegetable such as carrot, crougette or pumpkin, but it is really funny to see the face of some people when you say the cake has been made with beetroot. The best is to appreciate their face once they tasted the cake. You know already what I´m talking about. So that happend to me as well with this chocolate beetroot cake. I love it, specially the moisture and the instense chocolate flavour. 

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

makes a 20 cm round pan

200 g dark chocolate 

150 g light brown sugar 

80 g vegetable oil 

2 large eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla paste 

100 g flour 

1 tablespoon cocoa powder 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 

1 pinch of salt 

200 g cooked beetroot

Preheat oven to 180º and grease the pan with spray or butter. 

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool. Blend the beetroot, it is not necessary to make a puree, you can also grate it.
Sift the flour, the cocoa, the salt, the baking powder and bicarbonate in a bowl and set a side.
In a seperate bowl mix the sugar and the oil until light and fluffy, add the eggs one at the time, add the vanilla and mix it well.
Add the sifted ingredients and mix gently just until incorporated.  Finally add the beetroot and the chocolate and mix it with an spatula.
Pour the mixture in a greased pan and bake it for 40-50 minutes or until you insert a skewer it wil come out almos clean of crumbs.
Remove from the oven and let the cake cool down for 10 minutes in the pan, transfer it later to a wire rack.

chocolate ganache:
100 g dark chocolate
150 g heavy cream

Put the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and heat until just strats to bubble around the edges. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chopped. Stir until chocolate has completly melted. 

Have a nice week  ♥

Cheese, Tomato and Dijon Baked Eggs

This dish is perfect for serving with a salad, it is so quick and easy to make, great for a lunch, a brunch or a dinner. I used small ramekins but you can use any other oven proof bowl or pan you have at home. For the garnish I used old amsterdam cheese and diced tomatoes. Try to use and old cheese such as gruyere or cheddar. 

Cheese and Dijon Baked Eggs

serves 4

4 large eggs
100 g sour cream or Greek yogurt 
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
100 g grated old amsterdam cheese
2 medium red tomato
sal and peper
chopped chives

Preheat oven to 180º and grease 4 small ramekins with spray or butter. 

In a bowl mix the sour cream with the dijon mustard and the grated cheese, add the chopped chives, salt and pepper and set aside. 

Cut the tomatoes in cubes and set aside. 

Crack one egg into each ramekin, try to not break the yolk. Season with salt and pepper. Place the cubed tomatoes all over and top with the cheese mixture. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately. 

Other suggestions for a lunch or a brunch with mustard you can check this one or this one.

Have a nice week  ♥

Red Fruit Naked Cake

Last Sunday we had guests and I did this cake. The first intention was to cover it completly with a frosting, but at the last moment I decided to finish it just like this, as a naked cake. I use to make naked cakes when I invite people at home, they often get impressed and is really easy to set this type of cakes. But the most I love is its the rustic and elegant touch. You can use any red fruit you like the most. 

Red Fruit Naked Cake

makes a 15 cm cake

200 g white sugar
200 ml vegetable oil
200 g all all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

4 large eggs
the zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla paste

For the filling:
500 g mascarpone
70 g powder sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, I use this one
red fruits for filling and topping

Pre-heat the oven to 180°. 

Sift the flour and the baking powder, set a side. In the bowl of the mixer beat the oil and the sugar until thick and pale. Add the vanilla and the eggs, one by one and beat. Put in the lemon zest. Finally add the flour gradually and mix just until incorporated, do not overmix once you add the flour.

Pour the mixture in a greased pan and bake 40 minutes, it will be done when a toothpick comes out clean.
If the cake get brown golden-brown but the inside is still not done, cover with aluminium foil untils it´s done.

Remove from the oven, leave it to cool down for a while and transfer to a wire rack.

Cut the cake in layers. Mix all the ingredients for the frosting. Place a layer on a cake stand or plate and put a good dollop of the mascarpone cream, spread out using a palette knife and cover with some of the red fruits, press them with your fingers. Place the second cake layer and repeat. Finish off with the third cake layer and spread a good amount of the cream and top with more red fruit. If you prefer you can serve with some dusted powder sugar. 

If you want to see a picture of the slice you can check it on my instagram.

Have a nice week  ♥