Cakes

A trip to Norway + Brownies with salted caramel and toasted meringue and a gingerbread bundt cake

December 22, 2017 By linda 56 Comments

Last week, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in winter wonderland… errr, I mean at Melgården in Norway with some wonderful friends, Olivia of Adelasterfoodtextures, Samantha of The Botanical Kitchen, Kati of Blackwhitevivid and of course, the lovely lady of the house, Live of Melgården. Only sweet Krissy of Cottage farm missing!

Melgården truly looked like my idea of winter wonderland, SO cold (-19°C one day, brrr) and lots and lots of snow. Rolling hills, fog and frost on the windows. Like a dream come true. It made me feel like a kid again on so many levels. My fingers and toes weren’t as excited as I was though, nor was my camera gear or my phone battery which died within 10 minutes outside.

Melgården is like something out of a fairytale, or possibly a Wes Anderson movie, and I dare to say it’s every food photographer’s dream with all the rustic backdrops and props, and that GORGEOUS scenery. We drove through a snowy Sweden all the way up to snowy Rena, Norway, with the car full of fresh vegetables and props. We almost couldn’t fit in there!

I couldn’t believe how efficient we were. With about 5 hours of daylight each day and in two days, I shot FOUR cakes (I can only share two of them here though.. 🙂 ) and a whole bunch of other beautiful things that you can see in this post. That’s why I love working in a team so much, especially this team <3

And this is why I’m delighted to share that Olivia, Krissy and I will be hosting a workshop again, at Melgården in 2018! I literally can’t wait!! If you’re interested, make sure to subscribe by e-mail for more details and prerelease. You can fill in your e-mail address in the sidebar on the right 🙂

I’d also like to take the time to thank you for your continued support this year! It wouldn’t have been the same (or at all!) without you. Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a very Happy 2018!

BROWNIES WITH SALTED CARAMEL AND TOASTED MERINGUE

9-12 servings

Some notes about this recipe: If you’re not a fan of hazelnuts, you can definitely make these brownies with walnuts, pecans or almonds (I’ve tried all and they’re all delicious!). The brownies are also super delicious without caramel and meringue if you prefer that. When test baking, I baked my brownies for 32 minutes – it was almost set, slightly wobbly in the middle and it came out gooey and delicious. After a day in the fridge it has exactly the consictency I like in brownies! Make sure to have a look HERE in case you’d like to make an edible gift out of this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Brownies

100 g (3.5 oz) hazelnuts
150 g (about 1 + 1/3 stick) salted butter
4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) coffee
150 g (1 cup) all purpose four
1/2 tsp. baking powder
30 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. flaky salt
135 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
110 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.) light brown muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
150 g (5.2 oz) dark chocolate, chopped

Caramel

110 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
50 g (3 tbsp.) salted butter, in small cubes
75 ml (1/3 cup) heavy cream
1/4 tsp. flaky salt

Meringue topping

2 large egg whites
90 g (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
zest from 1 orange

INSTRUCTIONS

Brownies

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Place the nuts in a baking dish and toast for 10-12 minutes or until fragrant and slightly browned. If the nuts aren’t already skinned, wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub until most of the skins come off. Let cool completely, then chop them coarsely.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and set aside to cool.
Butter a baking pan, approximately 17 x 17 cm (measured at the bottom of the pan, the top is 20 x 20 cm) and cover it with baking paper.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the melted butter, coffee, eggs, chopped nuts and chocolate and stir until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake is almost set but the center wobbles slightly.
Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan.

Caramel

Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium to high heat until the sugar starts melting around the edges. Turn the heat down to low and stir gently with a wooden spoon until sugar is completely melted and golden brown. Be careful not to burn the sugar! Stir in the butter, piece by piece, stirring between each addition.
Little by little and very slowly pour the cream into the saucepan with the melted sugar and butter (it will bubble up so make sure to be careful as this stuff is hot!). Stir until smooth. Pour caramel into a heat proof bowl and let cool completely.

Meringue topping

Place egg whites, lemon juice and sugar in a clean and heatproof bowl (preferably stainless steel or glass).
Put the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. The bowl should fit snugly, and the simmering water should not be touching the bowl. Whisk the sugar and egg whites constantly with a whisk until the mixture reaches about 65°C (about 140-150°F). If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, just rub some mixture between your fingers. If the sugar has melted and mixture is hot to the touch, it’s ready.
Remove the bowl from the heat, beat until white, fluffy and cool to the touch with a stand- or electric mixer. This step can take about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the orange zest.

Assembly

Place the cake on a plate or serving platter. Drizzle/spoon caramel on top, then spread the meringue over the caramel. Brown the meringue using a kitchen torch.

GINGERBREAD BUNDT CAKE

Makes 1 bundt

Some notes about this recipe:I used a 10 cup bundt pan to bake this cake and it was actually slightly too small for the batter so I would suggest putting a piece of baking paper underneath the pan while baking so the batter doesn’t end up on the floor of your oven, or reserving some of the batter to bake some muffins. A 12 cup pan would probably be more suitable.

INGREDIENTS

Gingerbread bundt cake

540 g (3 3/4 cups) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. flaky salt
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
2 tsp. freshly ground cloves
1 tsp. ground bitter orange peel (can be omitted)
4 large eggs
240 g (1 1/4 cup) light brown muscovado sugar (or regular light brown sugar)
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) cane syrup
250 g (2 + 1/4 stick) salted butter
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) heavy cream
300 ml (1 1/4 cup) milk

Cream cheese glaze

120 g (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) powdered sugar
100 g cream cheese
1-3 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Gingerbread bundt cake

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a large bundt pan with 10-12 cup (preferably 12 cup) capacity. Set aside.
Mix flour, baking soda, salt, spices and ground bitter orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add cane syrup and beat until smooth.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in cream and milk.
Add dry ingredients and butter mixture to the egg mixture in additions, and stir until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the lowest oven rack for 55-65 minutes, but start checking doneness after 50 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake during the whole baking time so the top won’t brown too fast (if it does, carefully place a piece of baking paper or aluminum foil on top).
Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a cooling rack to cool completely. The cake will most likely come out domed, so feel free to even that out with a sharp serrated knife once the cake is cool.

Glaze

Combine powdered sugar and cream cheese in a bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
Stir in orange juice to desired consistency. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake.

Cheesecake filled chocolate bundt cake with white chocolate matcha glaze

November 14, 2017 By linda 34 Comments

I knew from the moment I opened the box to this bundt pan that I was going to bake a chocolate bundt cake in it, and then top it with a matcha glaze. The cheesecake filling idea popped into my head as I was making the batter for the chocolate cake. It was a good idea, to say the least. This is probably my most favorite chocolate cake ever, it’s like a fudgey, delicious brownie in consistency. Mmmm. And I swear it gets even better after a couple of days in the fridge, which is awesome because to be honest, who can eat such a huge cake in one go?

And guys, I bet you already know them, but if you don’t, you need to know about Nordic Ware bundt pans (they did not pay me to say this, I just adore their pans and want to share). Now, I love my vintage cake pans but I’ve had so many cakes stick to the pans and it’s just such a waste of time and good ingredients. I’ve not had a single cake stick to the pan with my NW pans. So there you go.

Anyway, if you’re making this recipe, make sure to read up on the notes right before the ingredients and instructions in the recipe. 🙂

Cheesecake filled chocolate bundt cake with white chocolate matcha glaze

Yields one bundt cake, serves 10-12

Some notes about this recipe: I suggest using coffee in the cake as it heightens the chocolate flavor, but water works as well. I used a white chocolate with lemon flavor because I couldn’t find regular white chocolate, and I think that made the cake taste even better! So adding some lemon or orange zest to the cake, cheesecake batter or glaze definitely wouldn’t be a bad thing. If you don’t like matcha, you can absolutely omit it from the glaze. If the cake isn’t eaten the same day, wrap it well and store it in the fridge, I actually find that the cake becomes better after a day or two in the fridge!

Ingredients

Cheesecake filling

200 g full-fat cream cheese
1 medium egg
60 g (~1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 tsp. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. vanilla bean powder

Chocolate cake

200 g (~1 3/4 sticks) butter
125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
240 g (1 2/3 cups) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
68 g (2/3 cup) cocoa powder
300 g (barely 1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 medium eggs
150 ml (2/3 cup) sour cream or thick yogurt
125 ml (1/2 cup) hot coffee or water

White chocolate matcha glaze

100 g (3.5 oz) white chocolate, finely chopped
100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) heavy cream
1-2 tsp. cooking grade matcha powder

Instructions

Cheesecake filling

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Beat together the cream cheese, egg, sugar, flour and vanilla. Set aside while you prepare the cake batter.

Chocolate cake

Grease one 10-cup bundt pan (2.4 liters) and dust with flour or cocoa powder.
Melt the butter, add milk and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Add the butter mixture, eggs and sour cream to the dry ingredients and beat until just smooth.
Add the hot coffee and stir until smooth (batter will be quite runny).
Pour about 1/2 of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Spoon about 1/2 of the cheesecake filling over the cake batter, trying to not let it touch the pan (a little bit is ok though, just make sure to use a high quality pan so it doesn’t stick to the pan). Pour a little bit of the chocolate cake batter over the cheesecake mixture, just to cover it. Spoon in the rest of the cheesecake mixture, and then cover with the remaining chocolate batter.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool inside the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

White chocolate matcha glaze

Place the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
Pour the cream into a saucepan and whisk in the matcha powder. Place the saucepan over medium high heat until cream is very hot but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate – make sure all the chocolate is covered with cream, if not, press chocolate down with a spoon. Let stand for 30 seconds, then stir until chocolate is melted and glaze is completely smooth.
Let glaze cool completely, then drizzle over cake.

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Caramelized banana upside-down cake

November 4, 2017 By linda 56 Comments

Can I just say… this cake is SOOO. GOOD. I know I say that about everything and I truly mean it every time. But you know, you always have your favorites/weaknesses (like.. devouring 20 chocolate chip cookies.. never happened). I think you know what I mean. Some things are just hard to resist, and this cake is definitely one of those cakes where I could eat the whole thing in one go. Let me just say, whoever came up with the idea of baking fruit in a pool of caramel in the bottom of a baking pan is a genius. Downright genius.

CARAMELIZED BANANA UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

8-10 servings

This cake didn’t last very long in my house, that’s how good it is! Definitely best served warm. The cake itself is quite sweet, so if you’d like to serve it with something, I’d recommend some unsweetened whipped cream. I didn’t add too much spice in the recipe because I didn’t want to take away from the banana flavor, but you can definitely up the ginger and cinnamon if you want a more spiced cake.

INGREDIENTS

TOPPING

65 g (approx. 2/3 stick) salted butter
125 g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp, tightly packed) light muscovado sugar
3-4 ripe bananas

CAKE

200 g (1 1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
125 g softened salted butter
180 g (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
150 ml (2/3 cup) thick yoghurt (greek or turkish), at room temp.

INSTRUCTIONS

TOPPING

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter a 22 cm (9 inch) springform pan and cover the bottom of the pan with baking paper.
Peel and cut the bananas in half lengthwise.
Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until combined and sugar is melted. Don’t worry if the mixture feels gritty, it will disappear once the cake is baked. Spread the caramel over the baking paper in the bottom of the pan. Place the bananas cut side down over the caramel.

CAKE

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour in three additions, and the yoghurt in two, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, over the caramel and bananas. Smooth the top with a spatula.
Make sure to put a baking sheet covered with baking paper on the lowest rack of the oven to catch any drips from the cake (it will most likely leak a little bit). Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Start checking around 40 minutes, as you might need to cover the cake with foil if it’s browning too much.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a large serving platter or plate to put the cake on. After the 5 minutes, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. Then invert the cake onto the platter and peel off the piece of baking paper. Let cool a bit before serving.

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Mini pumpkin cakes with caramel pastry cream and toasted lemon meringue frosting

September 30, 2017 By linda 30 Comments

I can’t believe summer is already over! It went by way too fast this year, but no wonder since I’ve been busy moving (I seriously can’t believe how much stuff we had crammed into our old apartment) and shooting my friend My’s book which by the way is SO much fun. A new experience for sure, and we’re nearly there. Can’t wait until it’s published next spring, I need to show you guys what we’ve been up to for basically the past 1 1/2 years 🙂 Moving has been such a transition. Life feels better and the new apartment is great, but getting back into work, learning how the light ‘works’ here is definitely a learning process. Living without a dishwasher is also something I haven’t done in a few years…

My and I found this amazing little farm shop called Kaggagård where we shot some pictures for her book. They had the most gorgeous pumpkins so I decided to bring a few home with me. I made some pumpkin puree, roasted pumpkin and these little cakes. I think I might make some soup aswell, and pie. What’s your all time favorite pumpkin recipe?

[flowplayer src=”https://www.callmecupcake.se/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/cinemagraphcake3.mp4″ autoplay=”true” loop=”true” ratio=”1.778″ width=”980″]

Mini pumpkin cakes with caramel pastry cream and toasted lemon meringue frosting

Makes 4 small cakes

This is a delicious version of my favorite ever carrot cake, where I use both grated pumpkin, pumpkin puree and sour cream instead of grated carrot and apple sauce/peach puree. If you prefer using carrot or if you want to make a 6 inch cake, you can find instructions for the cake layers here and here.

INGREDIENTS

PUMPKIN CAKE

150 g butter
1 3/4 cups grated pumpkin
3 large eggs
150 g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
65 g (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) light brown muscovado sugar, firmly packed
180 g (1 1/4 cups) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. flaky salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
80 ml (1/3 cup) sour cream
80 ml (1/3 cup) pumpkin puree (if you don’t have pumpkin puree, use sour cream or apple sauce instead)

CARAMEL PASTRY CREAM

150 ml (2/3 cup) milk
100 ml (1/3 cup + 2 tbsp) heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean
3 large egg yolks (save egg whites for frosting)
4 tbsp. (55 g) granulated sugar, divided
2 tbsp. (17 g) cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. (15 g) butter

MERINGUE FROSTING

4 large egg whites
200 g (1 scant cup) granulated sugar
zest from 1 small organic lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

PUMPKIN CAKE

Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 30 x 40 cm/ 11 x 16 inch sheet pan and cover with baking paper.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
Peel and grate the pumpkin.
Beat eggs and sugars until fluffy and lighter in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Add the melted butter and beat until combined.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl, then stir into the batter until just smooth.
Add grated pumpkin, pumpkin puree and sour cream to the batter and stir until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
Bake for about 16-18 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cake cool completely before cutting out rounds with a 6,5 cm/2.5 inch cookie cutter. Wrap the rounds in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container if not using immediately.

PASTRY CREAM

Pour milk and cream into a saucepan. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and add seeds and bean to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp sugar, cornstarch, salt and yolks. Set aside.
Put the remaining 3 tbsp of sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium to high heat until the sugar starts melting around the edges. Turn the heat down to low and stir carefully with a spoon until sugar is melted and golden brown. Be careful not to burn the sugar! Stir in the butter.
Very carefully pour some of the hot milk mixture over the melted sugar (it will bubble up so make sure to be careful as this stuff is hot!). Add the milk mixture little by little, then heat until everything is melted again.
Slowly pour half of the hot milk mixture over the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Pour everything back into the saucepan and remove the vanilla bean.
Whisk over medium heat until the mixture becomes very thick. Put the saucepan in a cold water bath, stirring every now and then to prevent a skin from forming. When mixture is cool, pour into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap against the surface of the pastry cream. Put the bowl in the fridge until pastry cream is cold and thick – about 2 hours, but preferably longer.

ASSEMBLY

Put the first small cake layer on a small plate or cake stand. Spread with a layer of the pastry cream, then put the next cake layer on top. Repeat until you’ve used four layers for each little cake. Put the cakes in the fridge while you prepare the frosting.

MERINGUE FROSTING

Pour egg whites and sugar in a clean and heatproof bowl (preferably stainless steel or glass). Put the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. The bowl should fit snugly, and the simmering water should not be touching the bowl.
Whisk the sugar and eggs constantly with a whisk until the mixture reaches about 65°C (about 140-150°F). If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, just rub some mixture between your fingers. If the sugar has melted and mixture is hot to the touch, it’s ready.
Remove the bowl from the heat, beat until white, fluffy and cool to the touch with a stand- or electric mixer. This step can take about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest.
Cover the cakes with meringue frosting and toast the meringue with a kitchen torch.

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Mocha squares

April 19, 2017 By linda 25 Comments

Mocha squares have about a million names in Swedish. Ok, so I exaggerated a little bit. Maybe not a million, but definitely a lot more than your average cake (Snoddas, Kärleksmums, chokladrutor, mockarutor… the list goes on). Usually they’re made with a super sweet glaze on top but I wanted to make a smooth, creamy buttercream type of frosting instead. And it’s definitely not overly sweet as it sometimes can be. I mean… who can say no to that swirly chocolate frosting? I know I can’t. I’ll happily eat it straight from the bowl.

In case you don’t have a sheet pan, you can make this recipe as cupcakes too! I tried and they were equally delicious. It’s totally up to you! Find instructions in the recipe and photos at the bottom of this post, in case you’re interested.

Still can’t believe I’ll be in the US next month to hang out with my sweet friends Eva, Carey and Maggie (+a bunch of other awesome people)! I’m so nervous and super excited at the same time.. I’ve never traveled that far. Actually I’ve never even been outside Europe. It’s about time! What are some of your best travel tips? Or advice on how to not get super jetlagged? Bring this cake, maybe? I think that would be a little bit suspicious, no? 😉

MOCHA SQUARES

Yields one sheet cake, serves 8-10

You can also make this recipe as cupcakes! Halve the cake recipe (but make the full frosting recipe) and divide the batter between 12 medium sized cupcake liners. Bake at 175°C for 16-19 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

150 g (about 1 1/4 stick) butter
270 g (1 3/4 cups + 3 tbsp.) all purpose flour
30 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
250 g (1 cup + 3 tbsp.) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder
150 ml (2/3 cup) milk

FROSTING

50 g dark chocolate (70%), chopped
75 g (2/3 stick) softened butter
90 g (2/3 cup) powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 tbsp. freshly brewed coffee (cooled)
1 tbsp. cream or milk
shredded coconut, to sprinkle

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 20×30 cm sheet pan or roasting pan and cover it with baking paper.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla powder until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the dry mixture and stir until smooth.
Add in the melted butter and milk and stir until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool under a clean kitchen towel.

FROSTING

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave. Let cool to room temperature.
Beat the butter and powdered sugar until mixture becomes light and fluffy.
Stir in the melted chocolate and beat until smooth. Add salt, cocoa powder, coffee and cream and beat some more until completely fluffy and smooth.
Spread the frosting on the cake and top with shredded coconut. Cut in squares and serve.

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Coconut coffee cake with caramel glaze

March 8, 2017 By linda 52 Comments

I think it’s officially spring, guys! I mean, except for the fact that it snowed the other day. Snowflakes big as snowballs. And today, I woke up to even more snow. I guess spring will wait a little longer here in Sweden. Hopefully not too long though as I can’t wait to get my hands on some rhubarb. I’m already fantasizing about all the yummy things I’ll be making with it.

On another note, how beautiful is this cake? I found this old cake pan and immediately, I imagined all the beautiful cakes I could use it for. I simply had to have it.

I try to be a bit more concious with what I buy these days (and where I spend my energy as well) and only get things that I truly love or serve a purpose. Preferably second hand, vintage or hand made. I’ve come to realize that too much stuff clutters my mind, and diminishes my energy and inspiration. Quality over quantity.

Anyway, back to the cake. I imagined topping the cake with pretty, long candles. Beautiful handmade beeswax candles with multicolored wicks from OVO Things to the rescue! Seriously, decent candles are so hard to find here so I was beyond excited to find these. You can have a look at the Birthday candles HERE in case you’re interested!

COCONUT COFFEE CAKE WITH CARAMEL GLAZE

Yields one cake, serves 8-10

You can make this cake with either shredded coconut or coconut chips that you grind in a food processor. I used the latter since I didn’t have shredded coconut at home. If you’re not a fan of coffee, you can use milk or water in place of it – but I highly recommend trying it with coffee! Note that this caramel sauce can sometimes get a little grainy after cooling, but it’s not noticable when you serve it with the cake.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

150 g (about 1 1/4 stick) butter
80 g (a scant cup) shredded coconut
180 g (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
280 g (1 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder
150 ml (2/3 cup) strong coffee

GLAZE

112 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
150 ml (2/3 cup) heavy cream
1 tsbp. butter
1 tbsp. light syrup (golden syrup/corn syrup would work too)
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. cocoa powder
Chocolate sprinkles, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 6-7 cup (1 1/2 litre) bundt pan.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together shredded coconut, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla powder until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the dry mixture and stir until smooth.
Add in the melted butter and coffee and stir until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 55-65 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

GLAZE

Mix sugar, cream, butter, syrup and salt in a saucepan. Stir together and let come to a boil.
Let mixture simmer for 20 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir every now and then (but don’t stir too often, this can make it grainy). Sift in the cocoa powder and stir until completely smooth.
Let cool for 10 minutes or so, then pour on top of the cake and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are as always, my own! 🙂 Recipe adapted from an old cookbook named ‘Bildkokboken’.

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Blood orange upside down cake

March 1, 2017 By linda 33 Comments

I adore a tall, beautiful and delicious layer cake as much as the next person, but lately, I’m such a fan of simple cakes like this one. Initially, I didn’t even make this for the blog, I was just doing some “procrastibaking” (that is, procrastinating by baking) with leftover ingredients from freelance work because I didn’t feel like sitting in front of the computer all day.

And of course, I was craving something sweet. But I took some photos of it anyway, you know, just because. And when I took the first bite, I knew I had to post it. And doesn’t it look stunning too? I adore oranges, and especially blood oranges so much. I want to use them with everything!

Today I’ll be picking up the keys for my little studio and I couldn’t be more excited! After almost 4 years of working from home, it feels unreal. I can’t really imagine anything else than walking straight from bed to my computer with a cup of coffee (hey, that’s pretty great too!).

Hopefully I’ll be more efficient with work, and it’ll be a nice change of pace to actually come home to relax a little bit after work (we’ll see how the relaxing part goes..)!

BLOOD ORANGE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Yields one cake, serves 8

You can make this upside down cake with basically any fruit, apples or pears sprinkled with some cinnamon would be so good! Also, when you leave the pith (the white part) and peel of the orange on, you might notice a slightly bitter taste. If you don’t like this – just cut away the skin and the pith like I’ve done here. I did find that after the cake was baked and had rested a day on the counter, covered in plastic wrap, the bitterness from the oranges had completely disappeared.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. demerara sugar
100 g (1 scant stick) butter + extra for the pan
50 ml (3 tbsp. + 1 tsp.) thick yogurt (such as Greek yogurt)
1-2 blood oranges
2 eggs
140 g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla powder (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
120 g (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
zest from 1 blood orange

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
Generously grease a 23-24 cm (9-9.5-inch) springform pan with butter. Sprinkle pan with 3 tbsp. demerara sugar, make sure to get some on the sides of the pan aswell.
Melt butter and stir in the yogurt. Set aside to cool.
Wash and slice 1-2 blood oranges thinly. Remove any seeds. Put the slices in a single layer in the bottom of the pan.
Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until very light in color and texture, about 2-3 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Add the butter mixture and zest to the batter and stir until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for 32-36 minutes (but start checking around 25 minutes) until cake is golden brown on top and a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool for 5 minutes before inverting the cake onto a rack or a plate to cool completely. Serve with the cardamom+almond ice cream from my previous post, or vanilla ice cream – or simply eat it as it is!

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Blood orange & black sesame loaf cake

January 11, 2017 By linda 40 Comments

Hi friends! Hope you’ve all had a great start to 2017. My days have mostly been about trying to get back into work, and finding a routine again. So hard after the holidays! If I skip checking my email for a week, it’s a real struggle to get back into it.

I need to write to-do lists for every day, by hand, in my calendar and then strike things off my list as I go, to get motivated. Needless to say, my 2017 calendar is still pretty empty. But I hope that will change soon!

Do you guys have any goals or resolutions for 2017? Usually I don’t, but if I were to pick something it would be to have more fun, laugh more, relax more and try not to worry about every. single. thing. Take better care of myself too. And to do things that make me happy.

Now, this cake! Citrus season is one of my favorite seasons and especially blood oranges have a special place in my heart (and my belly, hah!). Also, they make the prettiest pink icing. First, I made this cake in a bundt pan and with poppy seeds in place of black sesame seeds. Equally delicious! It would taste amazing with lemon, too!

BLOOD ORANGE & BLACK SESAME LOAF CAKE

Yields one loaf cake, serves 8-10

You can omit the sesame seeds if you want to, or try using poppy seeds instead! I’ve tried poppy seeds and it’s equally delicious. If using poppy seeds, there is no need to toast them. You can also bake this cake in a bundt pan, just make sure it’s big enough (approx. 6 1/2 cups).

INGREDIENTS

LOAF CAKE

3 tbsp. black sesame seeds
330 g (2 1/3 cups) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
175 g (1 1/2 stick) softened butter
330 g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
finely grated zest of 2 blood oranges
100 ml (1/3 cup & 1 1/2 tbsp) fresh blood orange juice (of approximately 2 oranges)
75 ml (1/3 cup) milk

GLAZE

120 g (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp.) powdered sugar
1 1/2 – 2 tbsp. fresh blood orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS

LOAF CAKE

Preheat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a 6 1/2 cup/1 1/2 litre loaf pan (mine measures: inner depth 7 cm, bottom inner length 21 cm, bottom inner width 8,5 cm, top inner width 11,5 cm)
Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a skillet.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the flour mixture, blood orange juice and milk in additions to the butter mixture and stir until batter is smooth. Add the orange zest and 2 1/2 tbsp of the toasted sesame seeds to the batter, leaving 1/2 tbsp seeds for topping.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 70-85 minutes (start checking around 60 minutes, cover the top with foil if cake is getting too much color) or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

GLAZE

Stir together powdered sugar and blood orange juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over cake and top with 1/2 tbsp toasted black sesame seeds.

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Saffron bundt cake with white chocolate coconut ganache

December 5, 2016 By linda 26 Comments

So the second Sunday of advent passed by in a flash.. the whole month of December goes by so quickly. And suddenly it’s a new year. I feel like I’m not as efficient as I used to be. Maybe it’s just the fact that I’m trying to be at bit more mindful of where I spend my energy. I know I mention this every year but it’s just so DARK. You kind of forget!

In December, baking Lussekatter (saffron buns) is an absolute must for me (and for maaany other Swedes of course). But this year I wanted to try something a bit different. Namely a soft saffron cake. So I baked this cake twice. One with “regular” milk and one with coconut milk and both turned out incredible. The one with regular milk is possibly a bit fluffier. Just ever so slightly. Both delicious. And then I made a white chocolate ganache with coconut milk instead of cream. Oh my! So good! I will definitely be trying that again with dark chocolate as well. Maybe for another blogpost!

SAFFRON BUNDT CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE COCONUT GANACHE

Yields one bundt cake, serves 8-10

I highly recommend making this cake with coconut milk (full fat), but if you’re not a fan of coconut, you can use regular milk in the cake in place of coconut milk and heavy cream in the ganache. I’ve tried it and it works beautifully! I usually soak my saffron for about a week before baking with it to extract as much flavor as possible, but doing it an hour or so before is better than not doing it at all. If you don’t have dark rum, you can use any hard liquor. If you don’t want to use any type of alcohol, you can let it soak in 1 tbsp. warm water for an hour before using. Cake recipe adapted from here.

INGREDIENTS

BUNDT CAKE

0,5 g (approximately 1/4 tsp) saffron
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. dark rum
200 g (1 3/4 sticks) butter
150 mL (2/3 cup) coconut milk
240 g (1 2/3 cups) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
270 g (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar

GANACHE

50 g (1.8 oz) white chocolate, finely chopped
60 mL (1/4 cup) coconut milk
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder
Powdered sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

BUNDT CAKE

Grind the saffron with 1 tsp. sugar and put in a small jar. Add dark rum and cover with a lid or plastic wrap and leave it in room temperature for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 4 1/2 – 5 cup bundt pan (recipe makes approximately 4 cups of batter).
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the coconut milk and saffron mixture and set aside.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the butter mixture and stir until combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in its pan for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

GANACHE

Put the finely chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Pour the hot coconut milk over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds.
Stir with a small spoon until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Leave to cool until slightly thickened (it won’t thicken a lot though). Dust cake with powdered sugar and drizzle with ganache.

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Citrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting

November 28, 2016 By linda 15 Comments

As you can see, I’ve been really into making cakes lately. For the longest time now, I’ve been kind of sick of cake. I have no idea why! I guess I go through these weird creative cycles where I can only think about one type of recipe and right now, my obsession seems to be cake. I hope you don’t mind… Actually I know you don’t mind 😉

I can’t believe it’s almost December! Yesterday was the first of advent here in Sweden.. Christmas still feels very distant. This cake is kind of suitable for Christmas/winter actually. Orange and chocolate is a combination I adore. And with the addition of ginger, and honey in the frosting, it’s even better!

CITRUS GINGER CAKE WITH HONEY CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Yields one 8-inch cake, serves 8-10

What I really like about this cake, besides the moist, buttery crumb, is the frosting. It’s perfect if you don’t like it super sweet. As for which citrus fruits to use, it’s up to you! I used zest from 1 orange and 1 clementine but you could also use lemon, blood orange or lime. Make sure to not throw away the fruits after using the zest. Save them for the topping!

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

270 g (barely 2 cups) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
175 g (1 1/2 stick) softened butter
270 g (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla powder
3 large eggs
225 mL (barely 1 cup) sour cream
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp. finely grated citrus zest (save the fruits for the brûlée topping)

FROSTING

200 g semi sweet- or dark chocolate (50-70%)
300 g cream cheese, at room temperature
pinch of salt
4-5 tbsp. fluid honey

BRÛLÉED CITRUS

1 orange
1 clementine
handful of kumquats if desired
3 tbsp. turbinado sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

Preheat oven to 175°C (350f). Grease and flour a 20 cm (8 inch) cake pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla powder until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the flour mixture, sour cream, zest and ginger to the butter mixture and stir until batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 48-50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

FROSTING & ASSEMBLY

Coarsely chop the chocolate, then melt it and let it cool for a few minutes until lukewarm.
Beat the cream cheese, honey and salt until smooth, then add the melted chocolate and beat until smooth again. If the cream cheese is too cold, the mixture might harden quickly. If it does, carefully heat the mixture in a pan so a small part of the chocolate melts, then beat smooth and creamy again.
Split the cake in half so you have two layers. Place the first layer on a plate or cake stand, then spread with a layer of frosting. Put the second layer on top and cover the cake with the rest of the frosting.

BRÛLÉED CITRUS

Slice the fruit and cut away the remaining peel and pith from each slice. Pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle sugar on top and using a kitchen torch, slowly and evenly caramelize the sugar until it bubbles and browns. Let cool for a minute, then place brûleed slices on the cake. Decorate with kumquats.

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