Christmas

Edible gifts – flavored sugar

December 15, 2016 By linda 13 Comments

I’ve tried making flavored sugar before but was always annoyed with how it would turn into one huge, rock hard clump within just a few hours. And shelf life was.. not too great. So I tried drying it in a hot oven before putting it in a jar. Success! And that smell.. oh my! I can’t say anything about shelf life yet but I’m sure it’ll be ok for a few months. I’m pretty sure I’ll use it before that.
I’m so excited to use these sugars to make pink meringue (no artificial coloring!), to top my pies and crème brûlée, sugar cookies, for drinks or ice cream or to top fresh fruit. They’d be perfect for just about anything sweet I guess. I’d also like to try mint sugar, and ginger!

If you want more tips on edible gifts you can make a few days before christmas, check out my DIY – Edible gifts in jars post from a couple of years ago. It includes a lot of nice gifts such as brownie mix, oatmeal cookie mix, hazelnut chocolate spread, herb salt, chai latte spice mix and cinnamon granola.

Blueberry vanilla sugar

Yields 1 cup sugar

This sugar doesn’t taste a whole lot like blueberry, but it does taste a lot like vanilla! It also looks pretty, and it’s perfect to be able to make pink sugar without using a bunch of artificial ingredients. Lime or lemon zest would also make a great addition to this sugar.

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. freeze dried blueberry powder
2 tsp. lemon juice
225 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla bean powder

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 75°C (170°F).
In a medium bowl, mix together the blueberry powder and lemon juice and stir until a paste forms. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir with a spoon until the sugar is evenly pink.
Spread sugar on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
Dry the sugar in the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Let cool completely, then put sugar in a mortar and pestle to break up any large clumps. Store sugar in an air tight container.

Spara

Lemon herb sugar

Yields 1 cup sugar

I used rosemary and basil, which was what I had at home. Thyme or mint would also be delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp fresh herbs
1 tsp. lemon juice
finely grated zest from 2 small lemons
225 g (1 cup) granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 75°C (170°F).
Put the herbs in a mortar and pestle together with 2 tbsp of the granulated sugar and grind until herbs are finely ground. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and the rest of the sugar and stir with a spoon until everything is well mixed.
Spread sugar on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
Dry the sugar in the oven for approximately 40-45 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Let cool completely, then put sugar in a clean and dry mortar and pestle to break up any large clumps. Store sugar in an air tight container.

Orange rum vanilla sugar

Yields 1 cup sugar

The rum adds a very nice taste to this sugar, but if you don’t wish to use alcohol you can use more orange juice in place of it.

INGREDIENTS

225 g (1 cup) demerara sugar
finely grated zest from 2 oranges
1/2 tsp. vanilla bean powder
1 tsp. orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. dark rum

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 75°C (170°F).
In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients.
Spread sugar on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
Dry the sugar in the oven for approximately 40-45 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Let sugar cool completely, then put sugar in a mortar and pestle to break up any large clumps. Store sugar in an air tight container.

Spara

Swedish butterscotch gingerbread cookies, two ways

December 10, 2016 By linda 28 Comments

I know these cookies don’t look like much, but hear me out. Known as “Kolakakor” (or “kolasnittar” if baked as a long roll and then cut whilst still warm) in Swedish, they are just about the easiest cookies you’ll ever make. You’ll whip up a batch in no time, which I find perfect during Christmas.. I get stressed out so easily this time of year.

Usually they’re made without the gingerbread spices, but I wanted to make them a bit more Christmassy which was a great move. I made two batches, just to see the difference in texture between using a few different ingredients. I can say that both turned out very, very delicious. Only a slight difference in texture, they do look a bit different (scroll down to the bottom for batch number 2). A fair “warning” though, you’re gonna want to eat them all in one go!

Swedish butterscotch gingerbread cookies

Yields approximately 15-17 small cookies

I made two batches of butterscotch cookies, mostly because I wanted to see the difference between using baking soda and baking powder, but I did make some other small changes too. These are made with golden syrup, which is the classic way to make them in Sweden. I also swapped some of the granulated sugar for brown sugar. These are perhaps slightly more chewy than the other batch. This recipe is pictured above. Scroll down for batch number 2!

INGREDIENTS

100 g (1 scant stick) softened butter
45 g (3 1/2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
30 g (3 tbsp.) light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tbsp. golden syrup
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
120 g (3/4 cups + 2 tbsp.) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
Beat butter, sugars, syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves until creamy and lighter in color, about 1-2 minutes.
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until a dough forms.
Cover a baking sheet with baking paper. Roll the dough into 15-17 small balls and put on the baking sheet, leaving some space between each cookie.
Bake for 10-13 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes, then enjoy with a nice cup of coffee.

Swedish butterscotch gingerbread cookies with maple syrup

Yields approximately 15-17 small cookies

These butterscotch cookies are made with granulated sugar, maple syrup and baking powder. They came out slightly flatter and possibly a bit more crunchy than the other batch.

INGREDIENTS

100 g (1 scant stick) softened butter
90 g (1/3 cup + 2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
2 tbsp. maple syrup
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
120 g (3/4 cups + 2 tbsp.) all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
Beat butter, sugar, syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves until creamy and lighter in color, about 1-2 minutes.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until a dough forms.
Cover a baking sheet with baking paper. Roll the dough into 15-17 small balls and put on the baking sheet, leaving some space between each cookie. Flatten each ball slightly with your fingers.
Bake for 10-13 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes, then enjoy with a nice cup of coffee.

Recipe adapted from IcaSpara

Spara

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.

Spara

Lussekatter – Buttermilk saffron buns (recipe in English and Swedish)

December 13, 2015 By linda 22 Comments

I enjoy Christmas baking so much, but this year, there hasn’t really been much time for it. So far.
These are a must for me though, no matter how busy I am, I always find the time to make these and pop them in my freezer. I actually just realized there are only two left in there.. I need to make another batch. I generally find most types of Christmas candy too sweet anyway, I mean I adore caramels but I just can’t handle the sweetness. These Lussekatter though, are just perfectly sweet. I adore them.

BUTTERMILK SAFFRON BUNS
OR LUSSEKATTER
Makes 19 buns

If the buns start feeling dry, reheat them slightly in the oven or in the microwave and they’ll become moist and delicious again!
You can easily double this batch and freeze the leftovers.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 g saffron (1 envelope)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp cognac or vodka

25 g fresh yeast
2/3 cup buttermilk (regular milk works too)
1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
1 large egg
1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (90 g) granulated sugar
100 g (1 scant stick) salted softened butter
3 cups + 3 tbsp (450 g) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt (I use flaky sea salt which I grind slightly in a pestle & mortar before measuring)

about 40 raisins
enough glögg or water to cover the raisins

EGG WASH
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 tbsp heavy cream

METHOD
1. Grind saffron and 1 tbsp granulated sugar in a pestle and mortar. Put in a small bowl and mix with cognac or vodka. This mixture can be prepared up to one month ahead for more flavor, but about 20 minutes before starting the dough works too.
2. Crumble the yeast into a large bowl.
3. Put buttermilk and cream in a saucepan and heat until approximately 37°C (98.5F) Add a little of the liquid to the yeast and stir until it has dissolved, then add the rest of the liquid, the saffron mix, the egg and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.
4. Slowly add half of the flour while working the dough with a dough hook in a stand mixer. You can of course also work the dough by hand but it will take longer. Add the salt and the butter and work until incorporated into the dough.
5. Add the rest of the flour (or as much as needed) and work into a very smooth dough, about 10-15 minutes on low by machine. The dough should be very elastic, smooth and sticky to the touch – if you pick up a piece and pull it apart it shouldn’t snap immediately.
6. Leave the dough to rise, covered with a cloth, for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, put the raisins in a bowl and cover them with glögg or water. This is done to not dry out the buns.

7. Now it’s time to shape lussekatter! Divide the dough into equally large portions (I used 50 g of dough for each bun) and shape each bun like an “S”. The trick is to roll them out really long to make them extra swirly. Prepare two baking sheets with baking paper. Transfer buns to baking sheets. Leave some space between them as they will rise even more. Put two raisins in each bun (as pictured).
8. Cover the buns with clean kitchen towels and leave to rise for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 250°C (480F).
9. Brush buns with egg wash. Bake at 250°C (480F) for about 5-8 minutes or until golden brown, depending on the size of the buns.
10. Let cool under a clean kitchen towel.
Enjoy! Remember to freeze leftovers immediately once cool or they will become dry very fast.

LUSSEKATTER MED KÄRNMJÖLK
cirka 19 mindre bullar

INGREDIENSER
1/2 g saffran (1 kuvert)
1 msk strösocker
1 msk konjak eller vodka

25 g jäst
1 1/2 dl kärnmjölk (vanlig mjölk går också bra)
1 dl vispgrädde
1 stort ägg
1 dl (90 g) strösocker
100 g mjukt smör
7 1/2 dl (450 g) vetemjöl
1/2 tsk salt (jag använder flingsalt som jag mortlar lite lätt innan jag mäter upp det, använder du vanligt bordssalt bör du minska saltet en aning)

ungefär 40 russin
glögg eller vatten

1 ägg
en nypa salt
1 msk vispgrädde

1. Mortla saffran och socker. Lägg över i en liten skål och blanda med konjak eller vodka. Detta kan förberedas upp till en månad före men 20 minuter går fint det också.
2. Smula jästen i en stor bunke. Värm kärnmjölk och vispgrädde i en kastrull till fingervärme (37°C). Häll lite av vätskan över jästen och rör om tills jästen lösts upp. Häll på resten av vätskan, ägg, socker och saffransblandningen. Rör om tills sockret lösts upp.
3. Tillsätt hälften av mjölet och arbeta i maskin med degkrok eller för hand med en träsked. Tillsätt smöret i klickar och sedan saltet.
4. Tillsätt resten av mjölet och arbeta till en rejält smidig och elastisk deg, cirka 10-15 minuter med maskin eller 30 minuter för hand på bakbord. Täck över skålen med en ren kökshandduk och låt jäsa i 60-90 minuter eller tills degen dubblats i storlek. Under tiden kan du lägga russinen i en skål och täcka med antingen glögg eller vatten.

5. Knåda degen lite lätt och forma sedan till lussekatter (jag använde 50 g deg per bulle) och lägg dem på två plåtar med bakplåtspapper. Dekorera med russin, täck över plåtarna med rena kökshanddukar och låt jäsa 45 minuter. Värm ugnen till 250°C.
6. Pensla bullarna med ett ägg uppvispat med en nypa salt och grädde.
7. Grädda bullarna 5-8 minuter tills de blivit gyllenbruna. Låt svalna under en ren kökshandduk.

DIY – Edible gifts in jars

December 16, 2014 By linda 61 Comments

First, I have to tell you that I’m beyond excited about this post! I don’t think I’ve ever put so much time and effort into making one blogpost (in 5 1/2 years people!). Totally worth it though. I loved every second of it and I’ve been so excited to share this with you so you can go ahead and make your own gifts. I read somewhere that DIY gifts like these were for “lazy” people but I’m of a different opinion. To me, making a gift really shows that you care. That you put time and effort into making something unique for that special someone.

I made labels using photoshop, printed them on thick white paper which I then used double-sided-tape to stick to the jars. Instructions can be put on the back of each jar, or you can just print them on paper and hand them over to the person who receives the gift.

HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE SPREAD
ALSO KNOWN AS HOMEMADE NUTELLA
Makes 2 cups (500 ml)

I’m so excited about this recipe, I don’t even know where to begin! First of all, there are no strange ingredients in it. You could almost say it’s healthy, right? It’s a perfect spreadable consistency, straight from the fridge. How awesome is that?? And best of all, it tastes amazing! It’s a bit more grainy (from the hazelnuts) than store-bought but I actually like that.

INGREDIENTS

150 g hazelnuts
2-3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil, such as canola or rapeseed
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
150 g dark chocolate (70%), chopped
2/3 cup (150 ml) milk

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preaheat oven to 175°C (350F).
2. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast for about 12-14 minutes or until slightly browned and fragrant (make sure to keep an eye on them as they burn quickly and when burnt they will have a very bitter taste).
3. Put the nuts in a clean kitchen towel and rub to remove skin. You probably won’t get all of it out but that’s ok! Just make sure to remove the excess.
4. Put the nuts in a food processor or blender while still warm and mix until as finely ground as possible. Add the honey, oil and salt and mix until it resembles a grainy marzipan-like paste.
5. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Remove bowl from heat and stir in the hazelnute paste. Stir until smooth.
6. Heat milk in a saucepan until hot but not boiling, add to the chocolate mixture a little at a time and stir until completely smooth. Make sure to taste the nutella to see if you wish to add more salt or honey.
7. Pour into a jar and put in the fridge to cool. Keeps for about 1 week in the fridge (though I ate it all pretty quickly).

Herb salt with lemon

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup sea salt flakes (such as Maldon)
1/4 cup fresh herbs, tightly packed in the measuring spoon – I used basil, oregano and rosemary
zest from 1/2 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put half of the salt and half of the herbs in a mortar and pestle (I’m sure a food processor would work as well).
2. Grind the mixture as finely as possible.
3. Add the rest of the salt, herbs and lemon zest and grind a bit more.
4. Spread mixture thinly onto a baking sheet and let dry overnight. Put salt in a small jar.

Double CHOCOLATE MUFFIN mix
makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS & TOOLS
One 5-cup (1,2 liter) jar

2 cups (300 g) all purpose flour
1 tbsp (tablespoon) baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cups + 1 1/2 tbsp (80 g) cocoa powder
1 cup + 2 tbsp (250 g) granulated sugar
150 g dark chocolate chips (or half milk chocolate, half dark chocolate)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a jar.
2. Layer in the following order, making sure to pack each layer down tight:
-Half of the flour mix
-Cocoa powder
-Rest of the flour mixture
-Sugar
-Chocolate

Enclose the following instructions and a set of muffin liners
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS
makes 12

INGREDIENTS TO ADD
100 g (1 scant stick) butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 200°c (392F). Prepare a cupcake pan with 12 muffin liners.
2. Mix melted butter, buttermilk and eggs in a large bowl.
3. Reserve some of the chocolate chips for the top of the muffins. Add the rest of the contents of the jar and stir until combined.
4. Divide batter between 12 liners, filling them completely full. Add reserved chocolate chips to the tops if desired.
5. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a cake tester comes out almost clean.

OATMEAL COOKIES
WITH CHOCOLATE LENTILS
Makes 25 cookies

Adapted from Bakerella

INGREDIENTS & TOOLS
One 4-cup (950 ml) jar

1 1/3 cup (185 g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (90 g) rolled oats
1/2 cup (75 g) chocolate lentils
1/2 cup (100 g) + 1/4 cup (40 g) chocolate chips (I used a mix of dark chocolate and milk chocolate)
1/2 cup (100 g) raw turbinado sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
2. Layer in the following order, making sure to pack each layer down tight:
-Flour mixture
-Oats
-Chocolate lentils
-Chocolate chips
-Raw turbinado sugar
-Granulated sugar
-More chocolate chips (just to fill all the way to the top, and more chocolate never hurt anyone, right?)

Enclose the following instructions
OATMEAL COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE LENTILS
Makes 25 cookies

INGREDIENTS TO ADD

1 slightly beaten egg
1 stick (113 g) butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 175°C (350F)
2. Mix wet ingredients with the contents of the jar. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch (3 1/2 cm) balls, place on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and bake for about 12-14 minutes.

CHAI LATTE SPICE MIX

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla powder
2/3 cup (135 g) raw turbinado sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
Mix all ingredients and put in airtight jar.

Enclose the following instructions and a couple of tea bags:
CHAI LATTE
Makes one serving

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp water
1 bag of black tea
2 1/2 tsp chai spice mix

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a saucepan and stir until dissolved.
2. Let sit for one minute.
3. Strain mixture once or twice and top with frothed milk and cinnamon.

CINNAMON GRANOLA

INGREDIENTS
2 cups (180 g) rolled oats
100 g slivered almonds
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (30 g) coconut flakes
1/2 (75 g) cup raisins

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 150°C (325F).
2. Mix oats, almonds, maple syrup, oil, cinnamon, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Stir until all dry ingredients are coated with the wet.
3. Spread mixture on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
5. Spread the coconut flakes on the baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes or until mixture is golden brown.
6. Let cool, add raisins, then pour into a jar.

Four hot drinks for the holidays

December 10, 2014 By linda 46 Comments

There is nothing more comforting than a hot cup of cocoa during the holidays. In fact, I don’t think I drink hot cocoa any other time of the year than December. Maybe January if it’s cold and snowy (and it always is, and February, and March..). December is never as cold and snowy as I wish it was. Right now I’m sitting in front of my computer (obviously) and the rain is pouring down and it looks like it’s not gonna stop for a while. Make that days. And I’m drinking cardamom coffee.

Now there’s another tip for you, just put some freshly ground cardamom with your coffee grinds and you have cardamom coffee. Ta-da!
Here are a few of my favorite hot drinks which I seem to come back to every year. Enjoy!

Hot chocolate with cinnamon and orange liqueur

Makes one huge or two smaller cups. If you don’t want to use cointreau but
still want the taste of orange, use orange chocolate or add a piece of
orange peel together with the cinnamon stick.

Ingredients
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp water
50 g dark chocolate (70%)
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup milk
1-2 tbsp cointreau (orange liqueur)

3 tbsp heavy cream, whipped
Cocoa powder, to dust
grated dark chocolate

Instructions
Place water, chocolate and cinnamon in a saucepan and heat until chocolate
has melted. Add milk and bring to a boil. Add cointreau if desired.
Serve hot chocolate with whipped cream, cocoa powder, grated chocolate and a cinnamon stick.

Easy gingerbread latte

Gingerbread spice mix
I highly recommend grinding cardamom and cloves at home instead of buying. It does make a huge difference – just make sure to grind them finely!

4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp freshly ground cardamom
3 tsp freshly ground cloves

Mix all ingredients and store in an air tight jar.

Easy gingerbread latte
Makes one large cup

2 – 4 tbsp espresso or strong coffee
1 cup milk
1 tsp gingerbread spice mix
2 tsp cane syrup or molasses
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp heavy cream, whipped
Gingerbread spice mix, to dust

Bring espresso, milk, spices, syrup and vanilla to a boil in a saucepan. Strain if needed. Pour mixture into a large cup and top with whipped cream and a dust of gingerbread spice mix.

Hot chocolate with dulce de leche

Makes one large cup
Ingredients
1 cup milk
2-3 tbsp dulce de leche
10 g dark chocolate

Instructions
Heat milk, dulce de leche and a piece of chocolate in a saucepan until chocolate has melted. Let come to a boil, then pour into a cup. Top with frothed milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Easy chai latte

Chai spice mix
This is my very easy version of chai latte. There are of course other ways such as boiling a chai syrup with cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger and so on, but if you’re in for a quick fix – this recipe is for you!

Ingredients
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp freshly ground cardamom
1/2 tbsp freshly ground cloves
1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight jar.

For the chai latte
Makes one cup

Ingredients
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp water
2 tsp black tea (or 1 teabag, I used apple tea for example)
1 1/2 tsp chai spice mix
1/2-1 tbsp light muscovado sugar or raw turbinado sugar (1/2 tbsp is enough for me)

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let sit for one minute. Strain mixture once or twice and top with frothed milk and cinnamon.

Gingerbread bundt cake with lingonberries

November 26, 2014 By linda 50 Comments

Bundt cakes make me nervous.
The cake doesn’t, but the unfolding part does. That freaks me out every time. I can feel my heart beating faster every time I’m about to do it. I think it’s because I’ve baked in some seriously bad bundt pans before. But this one is just awesome and the cakes come out perfect every time.
More than anything though, bundt cakes make me happy. There is just something so… simple about them that makes me love them. Simple and beautiful.

This truly is the best soft gingerbread cake I’ve ever had and it made our apartment smell like incense. Speaking of our apartment, those of you who follow me on instagram already know that I painted our kitchen in a lovely grey (though the color changes throughout the day) color. One layer of white and three layers of grey, with a paintbrush might I add, and there is almost no trace of that wallpaper left. Finally. I’m a huge procrastinator so deep inside, I knew I was never going to paint that wall. But this weekend I decided it was going to happen. I know it might seem weird to be so excited about a grey wall. I mean, it’s just a wall?! Well, for me it’s more than that. First of all, I finally painted it! That alone is pretty huge. And second, my inspiration hasn’t really been there lately and the light in our living room is sparse this time of year. So I’m more than happy to be able to work in a “new” room with new light.

This recipe is actually based on the gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting from last year. Strangely enough I always seem to begin my christmas baking with some kind of soft gingerbread. It’s almost tradition now.

Gingerbread bundt cake with lingonberries
Makes one large bundt cake

Note that 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, or reserving some of the batter to bake some muffins. A 12 cup pan would probably be more suitable.
You can easily halve the recipe for a smaller pan (a 5-6 cup pan) and bake it for about 45 minutes.

Gingerbread spice mix
This recipe makes more than you need for this recipe but I figure why not make some extra for other uses? I highly recommend grinding cardamom and cloves with a pestle and mortar instead of buying ready made. It does make a huge difference!

4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp freshly ground cardamom
3 tsp freshly ground cloves

Soft gingerbread cake
3 3/4 cups (540 g) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp gingerbread spice mix
1 tsp ground bitter orange peel (can be omitted)
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup (240 g) light muscovado sugar (or light brown sugar)
3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (200 ml) cane syrup
250 g (2 sticks + 1/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (200 ml) heavy cream (about 35-40 % fat content)
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) milk
1 cup (150 g) frozen lingonberries (can be omitted)

Glaze
2/3 cup (90 g) powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp milk

Instructions
1. Mix together ground spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves) in a small jar.
2. Heat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a large bundt pan which holds about 10-12 cups (preferably 12 cups). Set aside.
3. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, 3 tsbp gingerbread spices and ground bitter orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add cane syrup and beat until smooth.
5. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add cream and milk.
6. Add dry ingredients and butter mixture to the egg mixture in additions, and stir until smooth.
7. Stir in the lingonberries, then pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the lower part of the oven 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).
8. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
9. Mix together powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Pour glaze over the cake.

A saffron cinnamon wreath and saffron buns

December 17, 2013 By linda 17 Comments

I realize that this post is a few days late. But you know what? Lussekatter can be eaten throughout December, not just on St. Lucia day which is December 13th. No, Lucia day is more an excuse to eat as many as you want.
On another note, it’s a real struggle to take photos for the blog these days. And the light is just weird (excuse my purple hands above, they’re not purple IRL, I promise).
Oh, and the rain. It rains every day! I just wish it would snow.

So, I made two types of Christmas wreaths this year. One edible and one “real” with evergreens. The edible one is definitely not for hanging up on the wall. It just looks real pretty served with the ribbon. It’s so good I can’t even handle it. It’s like if the cinnamon bun and the saffron bun would have a baby together. Yes, it’s that good.

This year I was a bit lazy not making my own gingerbread cookie dough. That’s ok though. There is this cute little bakery, Feldt’s, just a 10 minute walk from my home. They make the best buns and sourdough bread ever. This year they also made gingerbread cookie dough and I knew I had to try it. It’s delicious, lots of flavor and not as sweet as store-bought cookies.

Saffron and cinnamon wreath
Makes 1 wreath

This recipe is adapted from my cinnamon bun recipe, and is somewhere in-between two Swedish favorites – the cinnamon bun and the “lussekatt” (“Lucia cat”, or just saffron bun). I’ve added just a hint of orange just because I love it, but I still wanted the cinnamon and saffron to be the stars. If you want the orange flavor to be more noticeable use zest from 1 whole orange.

12 g fresh yeast
40 g butter
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
1/2 g saffron
25 g granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cardamom, coarsely ground
200 g all purpose flour

Filling
50 g softened butter
25 g granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom, finely ground
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
Zest from 1/2-1 orange
Pinch of salt

Egg wash
1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of cream or milk and a pinch of salt

Granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Method
1. Sprinkle yeast into a large bowl.
2. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add milk and saffron and heat until approximately 37°C (98.5F), remove from heat and pour over the sprinkled yeast. Stir until dissolved. When yeast is completely dissolved, add sugar, salt cardamom and flour.
3. Work the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes with machine or 10 minutes by hand. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the filling and set aside.
5. When dough is ready, roll it out into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface. The dough should measure about 55 x 27 cm (approx 21.6 x 10.6 inches).
Spread with filling and roll it into a log lengthwise (which means you’ll have a 55 cm long log).
6. Transfer log onto a cutting board if needed. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, split the dough in half lengthwise (which means you’ll end up with two long strips of dough, still 55 cm long with the inside layers “exposed”).
7. Put the two layers next to each other with the “exposed” part up. Join the top of the two pieces together, then start twisting the two lengths together (imagine doing a braid with just two strands.. or you could just twist..).
8. Transfer “braid” onto baking paper and shape it into a wreath by joining the two ends together. Slide the baking paper onto a baking tray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 200°C (392F).
9. Lightly brush wreath with egg wash. Sprinkle some granulated sugar on top. Bake at 200°C in the lower part of the oven for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Good old Swedish “lussekatter”
Makes 30-40

Traditionally shaped into an S-shape, but you can make them any shape you want!
If you feel like making them in the traditional manner, the trick is to roll them out really long to make them extra “swirly”. Some people soak the raisins in water or mulled wine before putting them on the buns to keep them from drying out the bread.
If buns feel dry, reheat slightly in the oven or in the microwave and they’ll become moist and delicious again!

50 g fresh yeast
200 g butter
1 gram saffron (2 envelopes)
300 ml milk
200 ml heavy cream
185 g granulated sugar
1 large egg
900-960 g all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt

Egg wash
1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of cream or milk and a pinch of salt

Decoration
Raisins

Method
1. Crumble yeast into a large bowl.
2. Melt the butter, add saffron, milk and cream and heat until approximately 37°C (98.5F) Add a little of the liquid to the yeast and stir until it has dissolved, then add the rest of the liquid.
3. Add the egg and sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the flour and salt and work into a smooth dough (about 10 minutes by hand). It should still be a little bit sticky (but manageable!). Leave the dough to rise, covered with a cloth, for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
4. Now it’s time to shape lussekatter! Divide the dough into equally large portions and shape each bun like an “S”. The trick is to roll them out really long to make them extra swirly. Transfer buns onto baking paper. Leave some space between them as they will rise even more. Put two raisins in each bun (as pictured).
5. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
6. Brush buns lightly with egg wash. Bake in the middle of the oven at 250°C (480F) for about 7-9 minutes or until golden brown, depending on the size of the buns.
7. Let cool. Enjoy! Remember to freeze leftovers immediately or they will become dry very fast.

Soft gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries

December 1, 2013 By linda 78 Comments

Now this is one seriously good cake.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while you know I love cake. This has to be one of my favorites so far. I’ve said it many times before and I’m ready to stand by it again, I like soft gingerbread cake more than gingerbread cookies. Sorry if I’ve offended anyone. Pair a soft gingerbread cake with some buttercreamy and tangy cream cheese frosting and you’re good to go.

On another note, that dress I’m wearing in the picture below has been spotted before. I promise it’s not the only piece of clothing I own, although it’s the only white piece of clothing I own. If you know me, you also know that about 95% of my wardrobe consists of black clothing.

Anyway, today is the first of advent in Sweden which is (to most people anyway) when you’re supposed to put up all the Christmas decorations. I haven’t had time to do that as I have a deadline for my book tomorrow, yet somehow I’m sitting here writing this post.
I should probably finish that. And you can go make this cake!

Soft gingerbread cake
with cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries

Printable recipe

Gingerbread spice mix
This recipe makes more than you need for the cake but I figure why not make some extra for other uses? I highly recommend grinding cardamom and cloves with a pestle and mortar instead of buying ready made. It does make a huge difference!

4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp freshly ground cardamom
3 tsp freshly ground cloves

Soft gingerbread cake
270 g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
4 tsp gingerbread spice mix
1/2 tsp ground bitter orange peel (can be omitted)
2 large eggs
100 g light muscovado sugar (or light brown sugar)
100 ml* cane syrup
125 g butter
100 ml heavy cream (about 35-40 % fat content)
150 ml* milk

Sugared cranberries
Fresh cranberries, a couple of large handfuls
1 egg white (use pasteurized if you’re worried about eating raw eggs)
Granulated sugar, for rolling

Cream cheese frosting
I’m using a large amount of butter for this recipe to add stability as this is a rather tall cake. Cream cheese frosting tends too be a bit on the loose side, but not this one!

150 g butter, softened
180 – 210 g (1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
200 g cream cheese, cold

Instructions
Soft gingerbread cake
1. Heat oven to 175°C (350F). Butter and flour three 15 cm (6 inch) baking pans. Set aside.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, gingerbread spices and ground bitter orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add cane syrup and beat until smooth.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add cream and milk.
5. Add dry ingredients and butter mixture to the egg mixture in additions.
6. Divide batter between prepared cake pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a wire cooling rack.

Sugared cranberries
1. Dip cranberries in egg white and put them on a piece of kitchen paper so they’re not soaking wet when rolling them in sugar (this will make the sugar lumpy).
2. Roll in sugar and leave to dry for 30 minutes or so. Make the frosting while you wait.

Cream cheese frosting
1. Beat butter until pale, about 2 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar and continue beating until frosting is very pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
3. If you want the frosting to be as white as possible, add just a tiny bit (start off with a super small amount, like the tip of a toothpick and then add more if needed) of purple/royal blue icing color.
4. Add cream cheese and beat until just smooth.

Assembling the cake
1. If cake layers are domed on top, even them out just slightly using a serrated knife (you can correct this with an even layer of frosting instead).
2. Put the first cake layer on a cake stand or plate and spread a fairly thick layer of frosting on it using an offset spatula.
3. Keep doing this until you’ve used all three cake layers. End with a layer of frosting on top of the last layer.
4. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake and put it in the fridge to set for a 10-20 minutes if needed.
5. Decorate with sugared cranberries and a sprig of spruce if desired.

A few notes

-*100 ml = 6 tbsp + 2 tsp
-*150 ml = 10 tbsp
-If you don’t want to use egg whites for the sugared cranberries, Naomi over at Bakers Royale has another way of making them with a simple syrup.

Candy cane chocolate cookies

November 22, 2013 By linda 57 Comments

I’ve started baking some christmas cookies.. shh, don’t tell anyone!
It’s like this every year. Christmas is way too short to fit in all the things I want to do and bake so I have to start early. I’m pretty sure that’s a good excuse.
I haven’t done any decorations yet, just some baking, drinking mulled wine and chai latte and listening to good old Frank Sinatra. Next weekend we’ll put up the decorations and the weekend after that, the christmas tree! My favorite!

We usually have huge christmas trees (have you seen Christmas vacation with Chevy Chase? It’s almost like that). Every year we say “next year we have to get a smaller one”, but somehow we always end up with an even bigger than the previous one. You don’t hear me complaining (until after christmas that is).
Anyway, I’m not sure why candy canes are associated with christmas, but I can tell you one thing. These cookies are good. Like really good.

Candy cane chocolate cookies
Makes 8-10 large cookies

Printable recipe

Feel free to double this recipe if you want more cookies as this is a quite small batch!

175 g dark chocolate (70%), chopped
25 g salted butter
30 g all purpose flour
1/2 ml (or about 1/10 of a teaspoon) baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
75 g granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

100 g milk chocolate, melted
Crushed candy cane

Melt 100 grams of the chocolate and the butter in a double boiler. Let cool.Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat egg, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy, about 8-10 minutes.
Stir in chocolate mixture and 75 g chopped chocolate. Add flour mixture and stir until completely smooth.
Let mixture rest in room temperature for 15 minutes or so. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 175°C (350F). Spoon about 2 tbsp of dough for each cookie onto a sheet with baking paper leaving some space between cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.
Dip cookies in milk chocolate and then in crushed candy cane (or sprinkle candy cane on top). Put cookies on a wire rack to harden.