Call Me Cupcake

Sweet food & photography

Summer

Apple Hand Pies

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A few days ago, Luise and David of Green Kitchen Stories came to my little town to film an episode for their youtube channel. I’ve been following them for as long as I can remember and I’ve met them once before, very briefly at the book fair in Gothenburg, so it was really nice to spend a whole day with them!

We went to Äppelgården (“The Apple Farm”) in Slöinge, which was actually closed for the week, but they were kind enough to let us film there anyway. I had some leftover apples and I’ve been thinking about making apple hand pies for a while. I’d totally forgotten how time consuming it is to make mini lattice tops though. Hehe.

With that said, there’s really no need to fuss with lattice tops for these pies unless you really want to. You can simply cut out lids (that is, a simple round that you place over the filling, don’t forget to make a couple of cuts or holes for the filling to seep through) or just cut out different shapes as I did for one of them. Works like a charm!

You will most likely have some leftover dough, but it’s definitely better to have too much than too little. Check out my ‘How to make a lattice pie’-video over here.

APPLE HAND PIES

Makes 8 small pies

INGREDIENTS

PIE CRUST

  • 360 g (2 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. flaky salt
  • 225 g (2 sticks) very cold salted butter
  • 5-8 tbsp. ice water

FILLING & TOPPING

  • 3 tbsp. (40 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp. (30 g) salted butter
  • 2 cups peeled, cored and 1 x 1 cm diced apple (about 3-4 depending on size)
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch
  • 50 g almond paste, grated
  • 1 egg
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp. turbinado sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

PIE CRUST

  1. Mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use a cheese slicer, if you have one, to slice the butter thinly – if not, you can simply dice the butter with a knife. Add the sliced or diced butter to the dry ingredients, and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until dough is crumbly but there are still some small visible pieces of butter.
  2. Drizzle with ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together, do not knead the dough.
  3. Form the dough into two evenly sized balls. Flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least one hour but preferably overnight.

FILLING

  1. Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium 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!
  2. Add in the butter, piece by piece, stirring between each addition.
  3. Stir in the diced apples (the caramel might harden at this point, but don’t worry, just keep cooking and it’ll melt again) and cook for about 2 minutes.
  4. Mix lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl and add to the mixture. Cook for 1 minute until the mixture thickens. Let cool completely, then stir in the grated almond paste.

ASSEMBLY & BAKING

  1. Let the dough rest for a few minutes at room temperature. Roll out one piece of the dough into a large circle about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, on a lightly floured surface. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface. Using a 9 cm (3.5 inch) cutter, cut out 8 rounds from the dough and transfer onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Cut out flowers or stars or whatever you want as decoration from the leftover dough, then wrap the leftover dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
  2. Roll out the other piece of dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out lids, strips for lattice or any other decorative pattern with cutters. Use up any leftover dough if needed.
  3. Spoon the filling onto the dough rounds, leaving a small border free from filling. Brush the border with some water, then place cutouts, lid or lattice on top of the filling. Press gently around the edges to seal, or use a fork to seal. Transfer the pies to the freezer for 15 minutes, meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
  4. Whisk together the egg with a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush the pies with the egg wash, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  5. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool a little, then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Points North workshop – Norway 2018

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It’s been more than two months since the Norway workshop at Melgården with Krissy, Liv, Kati and Sam. After workshops and travel, I need a lot of time to digest before I can write about the experience. There’s just so much to take in, so many new experiences and friendships, resulting in so many memories and photos to edit.

Last time we visited Melgården was back in December. Needless to say, it looked completely different then, all covered in snow. This time, everything was lush and green (perhaps a little brown and beige too from the lack of rain) and instead, the lilacs were blooming and there was heaps of rhubarb in Live’s garden.

Our journey began in Sweden, with our van filled to the brim with food, cameras, props and fresh herbs and flowers from Liv’s garden. We had a 5-6 hour drive ahead of us so of course we took every opportunity to stop at random flea markets on the way. One of them was absolutely lovely and I found some great things, like the cake stand from my previous post.

We arrived a few days ahead of the guests to prepare everything – Bake cakes, make pie dough, pick rhubarb and flowers, set tables and make sure everything was in order. We stayed at a nearby farm hotel, Søndre løsset, which was so charming, set in the most peaceful location.

I had an unexpected challenge at this workshop, the sun was shining all the time. And I’m not talking about how the sun never really set (which is also the case), no, I mean the sun was out all day every day! That’s lovely and all, but for outside photography in the middle of the day? Not so much.

We greeted our guests Hazel, Aniek, Birgitte, Kiri, Didi, Ida, Stefania, Andreea, Eileen and Sarah with welcome drinks in the greenhouse. You could already tell that this group consisted of the most fantastic women. Really, we couldn’t have asked for a better group! Thank you to each and everyone of you.

Liv prepared the most amazing dinner as always. She has a way with food that is so special. To me, she is a true genius. It’s very interesting watching her work in the kitchen, she’s like a whirlwind. Suddenly there is the most incredibly looking AND tasting food, with an accompanied mess of course! As there should be with true geniuses. 😉

The days are a bit of a blur, in the best way possible, but to sum it up they consisted of floral demos, pie demos, blowing out candle-demos, an amazing lunch set in a nearby field prepared by Kati and Sam, picnics in the garden, lightroom demos, talks about social media, a few glasses of wine here and there and a goodbye dinner made by Krissy (with the best pea soup ever). And I’m pretty sure I forgot half of it. Oh, and there was so much cake! Hopefully we all got back home with our hearts and bellies full, our skin slightly sunburned and with a lot of mosquito bites.

A huge thank you to our partners for this workshop, it wouldn’t have been possible without you!

Tine K (Website / Instagram) – for all the wonderful flatware, vases, pitchers, baskets and serving platters. They made our table settings look fantastic!

Magic Linen (Website / Instagram) – for the beautiful linens, napkins and table cloths. The most gorgeous selection of colors too!

Matchaeologist  (Website / Instagram) – for the delicious matcha for our guests. I used it for the matcha cake too and it turned out so great.  The best matcha I’ve tried!

Grain & Knot (Website / Instagram) – for the beautiful hand carved spoons and utensils. We loved them so much!

Pärlans Konfektyr  (Website / Instagram) – for the lovely chocolate caramel boxes for our guests. Both beautiful and delicious! Make sure to to go there if you’re ever in Stockholm.

Sinikkaharms Ceramics (Website / Instagram) – for the gorgeous ceramics you provided us with. They made everything look amazing!

Apple cinnamon bundt cake

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Whilst it’s not a good year for blueberries, it’s definitely a good year for apples which makes me super happy since apples are amongst my favorite things to bake with. And most of all, I needed a good reason to use some of my thrift store finds in a shoot, like that bundt pan, the pretty cake stand I bought at a flea market on our way to the Norway workshop, the broderie Anglaise apron (I’m absolutely obsessed with broderie Anglaise!), that vintage bicycle basket and the new hand carved beautiful utensils from Grain and Knot.

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably recognize some of these finds from my stories and know that I’m sort of obsessed with thrift shopping. More on this soon, hehe. Anyway, this apple bundt cake reminds me a of a soft gingerbread cake. Perhaps that’s why I love it so much? I was very tempted to add some cardamom too, but I already add cardamom to basically everything I make so cinnamon had to suffice. I mean, cinnamon and cardamom are basically two of the best flavour out there. Especially together. I’m thinking of cinnamon and cardamom buns which is preeeetty much the best thing ever, right?!


APPLE CINNAMON BUNDT CAKE

Serves 8

This cake is basically a Swedish ‘sockerkaka’ which, roughly translated, means sugar cake. It’s very fluffy and quite light in texture. Feel free to add other spices, like cardamom or cloves. Or replace the lemon with orange, so good! Note that I baked this cake in a vintage cake pan which usually takes a little longer – make sure to start checking doneness around 30-35 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g (1 scant stick) salted butter
  • 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) milk
  • finely grated zest from 1 lemon
  • 180 g (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2-3 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 apples (about 280 g)
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. all purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs, at room temp
  • 180 g (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a 4 1/2 – 5 cup (about 1 – 1.2 litre) bundt or loaf pan.
  2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the milk and lemon zest. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
  4. Core, peel and dice the apples (to about 1 x 1 cm dices). Toss them in a bowl with lemon juice and 1 tbsp flour.
  5. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Sift in the flour mixture and stir gently until combined. Add the butter mixture and stir until completely smooth. Should there be lumps of flour left in the batter, beat until just combined. Stir in the diced apples.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the lowest rack in the oven for 40-45 minutes (start checking doneness around 30 minutes) or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Apricot blueberry galette

By 35 Comments

What a summer we’ve had so far. 2 1/2 months and I can only remember like.. two days of rain. Basically it’s too hot to do anything, let alone bake, but I just couldn’t resist these beautiful apricots.

I was going to pick blueberries in the forest, but turns out they’re teeny tiny. Perhaps it’s not a good summer for blueberries, or maybe I need to wait a little longer? Anyway, galettes are my absolute favorite thing to make with fruits. Pie crust makes literally everything better, and you can basically just throw in any fruit you have at home. Doesn’t need much else to be honest.

Speaking of summer, I’ve come to realize these past two years that summer is in some ways my least favorite season. Don’t get me wrong, I love some things about summer – like the produce, being able to hang out at the beach, finally getting some vitamin D, etc. But it also completely stresses me out.

I have zero inspiration and suffer from major FOMO. I feel like I should be doing fun and amazing things every day, preferably every minute of every day too, and it takes me to a point where I just want to crawl under my blanket (no wait, it’s too hot for that) and watch Netflix. Actually I’ve read a little about it and seems like I’m not alone (it’s called reverse seasonal affective disorder). Do you feel the same way or do you love summer? If not, which is your favorite season?

APRICOT BLUEBERRY GALETTE

Yields one tart, 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

PIE CRUST

  • 180 g (1 1/4 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. flaky salt
  • 150 g (about 1 + 1/3 stick) very cold salted butter
  • 3-5 tbsp. ice water

FILLING & TOPPING

  • 500 g (about 7-8 depending on size) apricots
  • 125 g (about 1 cup) fresh blueberries
  • zest and juice from 1/2 small lemon
  • 50-75 g (4-6 tbsp.) turbinado or granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla bean powder
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 egg
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp. turbinado sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

PIE CRUST

  1. Mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use a cheese slicer, if you have one, to slice the butter thinly – if not, you can simply dice the butter with a knife. Add the sliced or diced butter to the dry ingredients, and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until dough is crumbly but there are still some small visible pieces of butter.
  2. Drizzle with ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix gently with a fork until dough just comes together, do not knead the dough.
  3. Form the dough into a ball and place it on a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disc, wrap in the plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least one hour but preferably overnight.

ASSEMBLY & BAKING

  1. Let the dough rest for a few minutes at room temperature. Roll out the dough into a large circle about 1/8 – 1/4 inch (3-5 mm) thick, on a lightly floured surface. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn’t stick to the surface.
  2. Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough to a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
  3. Halve the apricots and remove the pits, then place the apricots in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss with the lemon zest, juice, sugar (adjust to sweetness of fruit), vanilla, cardamom and cornstarch. Arrange the fruit on top of the dough, leaving a border around the edges. Fold the dough over the fruit and press gently to seal. Transfer the galette to the freezer for 15 minutes, meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
  4. Whisk together the egg with a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush the edges with the egg wash, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  5. Bake until golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool, then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry mascarpone ice cream with lime sugar

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It’s finally strawberry season! I decided to make this ice cream with the first strawberries I bought for the season. Alright, I actually ate some of them as well, I had to make sure they tasted ok – can you blame me?

I was inpsired by my friend My Feldt when I made this recipe. In her book there is a strawberry sorbet which she tops with lime sugar, and since trying that I’ve been obsessed with the idea. I also tried it with some of the rose sugar from my previous post, so good! This is probably my new favorite ice cream!


Strawberry mascarpone ice cream with lime sugar

Makes approximately 3/4 quart

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freezer container and put in the freezer. When partially frozen (after 2-3 of hours), take it out and whip it with an electric mixer to break up the ice crystals. Repeat 3-4 times during the freezing process. Freeze until firm enough to scoop. It won’t be exactly the same as when you use a machine for churning but it’ll still be delicious!

INGREDIENTS

Strawberry mascarpone ice cream

  • 350 g strawberries, hulled
  • 100 g (scant 1/2 cup) granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp. balsamico (can be omitted)
  • zest from 1 lime
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) heavy cream
  • 250 g mascarpone
  • 1 tbsp. vodka (can be omitted)

Lime sugar

  • zest from 1 lime
  • 3 tbsp. granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Halve the strawberries and place them in a large bowl. Add the sugar, balsamico, lime zest and lime juice. Stir gently with a spoon and let the mixture macerate for 15 minutes until the strawberries release liquid.
  2. Puree the strawberries using an immersion blender, then stir in the cream and mascarpone and mix with the immersion blender until smooth. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge until completely cold, about 1-2 hours. Stir in vodka if using.
  3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to your manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately as soft serve ice cream, or transfer ice cream to a freezer container with a tight fitting lid. Smooth the top with a spatula, cover with the lid and freeze until firm, about 2-4 hours.
  4. Place the zest from the lime in a small bowl. Add the sugar and rub until sugar is fragrant. Serve the ice cream with some sugar sprinkled on top.

Rose petal sugar

By 17 Comments

This recipe was supposed to be published a couple of weeks ago, but you know, life happens. I actually just got back from Norway a few days ago, from a workshop that I hosted with Krissy and Liv with the help of Sam and Kati, at Melgården which we visited back in December. It was amazing seeing Melgården in summer, but more about this in an upcoming post..

I know that the rosehip bushes are probably no longer in bloom, but I know I’ve seen other rose bushes in bloom that would be perfect to use for rose petal sugar as well.

This is sort of a non-recipe recipe, and you can totally wing it with the amount of sugar and rose petals. Do make sure to read the notes about the recipe when you scroll down though! I’m SO glad I have several ziploc bags of this stuff in my freezer now. I’m thinking, cookies? Ice cream?

Rose petal sugar

Some notes about this recipe: Don’t use roses from the florist, they’re usually sprayed and not very fragrant either. Use rose petals from wild growing rosehip bushes or from fragrant roses that grow in your garden. There is no need to pick the whole rose, simply pick the petals (the whole roses in my photos are just for the photos!) and leave the rest. I didn’t wash the petals, I placed them on a piece of kitchen paper to get rid of any bugs or dirt. If you want to, you can wash the petals – just make sure they’re dry before using them. I store the sugar in the freezer as I feel like it preserves the flavour and fragrance longer. This sugar is perfect for sprinkling on cookies, in tea, cocktails or simply use as you would use regular sugar in baking.

INGREDIENTS

  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 1 cup rose petals, tightly packed

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine sugar and rose petals in a blender or food processor and pulse until the sugar is even in color. Transfer to a ziploc bag or airtight container and place in the freezer.

 

 

Carrot cake with lime cream cheese frosting & salted caramel sauce

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After a fabulous workshop in Paris with Joann, Elise and Eva, and our amazing guests, I was happy to come home to super hot summer weather in Sweden (still going strong!). I decided to make one of my favorite cakes for the workshop, my carrot cake.

I know, I’ve posted it before but it’s just so insanely good so no harm in posting it again. This time with the addition of lime in the cream cheese frosting and a salted caramel sauce. Let me tell you, it’s so so good!? I love this combination so much.

You wanna know a little secret? The cakes came with me to Paris all the way from Sweden, in my checked bag by the way. Obviously not the assembled cake with frosting, that would be a very bad idea. But still! It’s the second time I try it and it works like a charm. I know it sounds crazy to do this as I had access to a fabulous kitchen in Paris, but I just like to be prepared and I find it difficult to bake in a new kitchen. Perhaps that should be my next blogpost, how to bring cake on a flight? 😉

CARROT CAKE WITH LIME CREAM CHEESE FROSTING & SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Yields one cake, serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

  • 150 g (1 1/4 stick) salted butter
  • 3 large eggs
  • 135 g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
  • 110 g (1/2 cup) light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 180 g (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. flaky salt
  • 250 g (about 1 3/4 cups grated) carrots, finely grated
  • 150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.) apple sauce

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  • 150 g (1 1/4 stick) softened unsalted butter
  • 110-150 g (3/4 – 1 cup) powdered sugar
  • 200 g cream cheese
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla bean powder
  • zest from 1 organic lime

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

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour two 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans.
  2. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
  3. Beat eggs and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the melted butter and stir until smooth.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, then gently stir dry mixture into the batter until just smooth. Add grated carrots and apple sauce and stir until combined. Divide batter between the two cake pans.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. Bake in the lower part of the oven for about 40-43 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

FROSTING

  1. Beat butter and powdered sugar (start with the smaller amount and add more if needed) until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat until just smooth. Stir in the grated lime zest.
  2. If the frosting seems soft, place the bowl in the fridge while you prepare the next steps.

CARAMEL

  1. 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.
  2. 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!). Add the salt and stir until smooth. Pour the caramel into a heat proof bowl and let cool completely.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Cut both cake layers in half with a serrated knife so you get four cake layers.
  2. Put the first cake layer on a cake board or directly onto a plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of frosting on the first layer. Repeat this until you’ve used up all layers.
  3. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. Place the cake in the fridge for a while if it seems unstable.
  4. Pour the caramel sauce over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Top with fresh berries if desired.

 

Cinnamon chocolate ice cream with warm cherries

By 16 Comments

Summer berries are usually what I’m most inspired to bake with, but this summer has been different. I feel myself drawn to apples, cinnamon, cardamom, chocolate, rustic pies and so on. You know, comforting things.

Maybe it’s the weather, which hasn’t been very summery. I was craving cinnamon, so I read up on it, and found out there are two types commonly used – cassia bark and “true” cinnamon. I’ve been using cassia bark this whole time, which is WAY more common and still delicious in cinnamon buns and apple pies. But this “true” cinnamon. Oh man, that smell! It smells incredible – super sweet and fruity.

Now, true cinnamon IS hard to get by, but if you do, I highly recommend getting a few sticks to save for a rainy day. I did pair it with warm cherries, but I gotta say I still struggle with the chocolate + berry combo sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, it was totally delicious, but I might try the ice cream without the chocolate and pair it with cherries, or maybe even apples?

CINNAMON CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM WITH WARM CHERRIES

Serves 4-5

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freezer container and put in the freezer. When partially frozen (after 2-3 of hours), take it out and whip it with an electric mixer to break up the ice crystals. Repeat 3-4 of times during the freezing process. Freeze until firm enough to scoop. It won’t be exactly the same as when you use a machine for churning but it’ll still be delicious!

 

INGREDIENTS

ICE CREAM

  • 4-5 ceylon cinnamon sticks (approx. 5-6 cm in length)
  • 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) milk, 3% fat
  • 90 g (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) heavy cream, 35-40% fat
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 50 g semi sweet chocolate (55%)
  • 1 tbsp. dark rum (can be omitted)

WARM CHERRIES

  • 300 g cherries, pitted
  • 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice

 

INSTRUCTIONS

CINNAMON CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

  1. Break up the cinnamon sticks slightly in a mortar and pestle. Put the cinnamon sticks in a saucepan together with milk, sugar, salt and half of the cream (150 ml). Let mixture come to a boil, then remove from heat and put a lid on the pan. Let steep for at least 1 hour.
  2. Pour the remaining cream (150 ml) into a large bowl and set a strainer inside. Keep this close while you go through the next steps.
  3. Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the milk mixture with a slotted spoon. Reheat the milk mixture over medium heat. Slowly pour the mixture over the egg yolks while whisking – this is to temper the yolks and prevent them from curdling in the next step.
  4. Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the pan. Return the pan to the stove and cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until mixture thickens. The mixture is done when it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the chopped chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
  5. Strain the thickened egg-milk mixture into the prepared bowl with the cream. Stir until combined. If you wish to speed things up a little, put the bowl in an ice bath and stir until cool. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and store in fridge overnight.
  6. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker according to your manufacturer’s instructions.
  7. Transfer ice cream to a freezer container. Smooth the top with a spatula, then loosely cover the surface of the ice cream with wax paper and freeze until almost solid, about 2-4 hours.

CHERRIES

  1. Put the cherries in a sauce pan with sugar and lemon juice. Cook until cherries are slightly soft and liquids become syrupy in texture, about 5 minutes. Stir every now and then.
  2. If the ice cream has been stored in the freezer for longer than 3-4 hours, you might need to leave it at room temperature for a few minutes to soften a little bit before scooping. Serve with warm cherries.

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Vegan coconut + rose petal ice cream with cardamom crumble topping

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These roses remind me of how I used to make “perfume” for my mother as a child. I picked rose petals and mixed them with
sand and water in my little plastic bucket (the sand had the function of a pestle and mortar). Come to think of it, she never used it. How
ungrateful. However, this ice cream is nothing like that perfume. I stepped up
my game since then. Promise.

We are eating more and more vegan at home. Except for cheese. I love cheese.

This ice cream though, never in my life did I expect it to be so creamy and delicious with so few ingredients. I’ve had some bad experiences with rose flavored things in the past, which I usually find way too “soapy” for my taste. This ice cream has a lovely floral note and the rose flavor is not overwhelming. If you want more rose flavor, you can always add more petals to your liking or even a little rose water. Of course, you also have to be very into coconut to like this ice cream. Don’t miss out on the cardamom crumble topping, which adds a lovely crunch.

When using fresh roses for baking or cooking, absolutely make sure they are unsprayed! The ones you buy at the florists are usually sprayed and shipped a long way. If possible, pick from your own garden or in an area where it’s ok to pick flowers. You can also buy already dried rose petals, just make sure they are for culinary uses. When choosing roses, the darker shade you go for, the more pronounced flavor.






VEGAN COCONUT + ROSE PETAL ICE CREAM
WITH CARDAMOM CRUMBLE TOPPING
Serves 6

-Make sure to use unsprayed roses! If you buy dried rose petals, make sure they are for culinary uses.
-Drying rose petals in the microwave is a very, very quick way to do it. You can do it in the oven too on a low temperature, but it will take longer.



Ingredients
For the dried rose petals
Fresh roses
A microwave safe plate
Paper towels

For the ice cream
2 cans (400 ml x 2) of full fat coconut milk
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean (split, and seeds scraped out)
1/2 cup (115 g) turbinado sugar (you could also use granulated sugar or maple syrup)
6-8 tbsp dried rose petals

Cardamom crumble
Recipe adapted from Tea Malmegård’s book “Desserter!”
3 tbsp + 1 tsp (50 g) turbinado sugar
2/3 cup (90 g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
3 tbsp + 1 tsp (20 g) rolled oats
1 tsp freshly ground cardamom
4-5 tbsp coconut oil (not liquid but not completely firm either.. put the jar in the fridge for a while if too liquid) or 60 g of softened butter

For the topping
Dried rose petals

Directions
Dried rose petals
1. Pull the rose petals off the stem and place them in a single layer on a paper towel lined plate.
2. Microwave on high for 60 seconds. The petals will likely still have some moisture in them so what you need to do is to microwave an additional 30-60 seconds, or until the petals are completely dry and crispy. Beware when removing the plate from the microwave as the plate will be very hot!
3. Spread petals on a cookie sheet and let them airdry for 6 hours if needed (I used mine right away, too impatient). Store in an airtight jar.

Ice cream
1. Place coconut milk, salt, vanilla bean+seeds, sugar and rose petals in a sauce pan. Heat until mixture is hot but not boiling. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and put a lid on the pan. Let mixture steep for 30 minutes.
2. Strain through a fine wire sieve into a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cool.
3. Using an ice cream machine, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s
instructions. Once the ice cream reaches soft serve consistency, transfer to a freeze proof container, sprinkle some extra dried rose petals on top and freeze until
firm enough to scoop, approximately 2-4 hours. If the ice cream feels hard after some time in the freezer, remove it from the freezer 15 minutes prior to serving.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freeze proof container and put in the freezer. When partially frozen (after a couple of hours), take
it out and whip it with an electric mixer to break up the ice crystals. Repeat 3-4 of times during the freezing process. Freeze until firm enough to scoop. It won’t be exactly the same as when you use a machine for churning but it’ll still be delicious!

Cardamom crumble topping
1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
2. Place sugar, flour, salt, oats, cardamom and coconut oil in a bowl. Using your hands, mix together until crumbly.
3. Spread on a baking paper covered baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool, then serve with ice cream.

Fluffy sponge cake with balsamic strawberries

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There is almost nothing that says summer as much as a simple, fluffy sponge cake with cream and strawberries. And while I do enjoy that as it is, in all its simplicity, I wanted to add something. And strawberries and balsamico is pretty much a match made in heaven, I know that since I made a cream soda with balsamic strawberries for a magazine not too long ago. It was honestly one of the best things ever, that I will make many times this summer.


Or let me call it “summer”, so far at least. If you’re from a nourthern
country, you probably know what I mean by that. When I was at the First We Eat workshop in Barcelona in March, Patricia of Sabores y momentos
asked me why I was so obsessed with checking my weather app all the
time. I told her that where I live, we need to make the most out of the
few sunny days we have, because it can literally be weeks until we see
the sun again. And that the weather is definitely a topic of
conversation in Sweden. She told me in her happiest voice “Well, that’s
not a problem here, it’s almost always sunny!”. Well, at least this cake
sure makes it feel like it’s sunny outside.




FLUFFY SPONGE CAKE
WITH BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES

yields one 24 cm (9.5 inch) cake, serves 6-8

This cake does not keep well in the fridge as the strawberries tend to get a little mushy after a while, so make sure to prepare the strawberries and cream topping right before serving!


Ingredients
For the sponge cake
150 g butter
1 cup (225 g) granulated sugar
3 medium eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (150 g) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
zest from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp milk

For the balsamic strawberries
300 g fresh strawberries
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp balsamico
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
zest from 1/2 lemon

For the topping
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp granulated sugar
Fresh mint leaves

Directions
Sponge cake
1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F)
2. Grease a 24 cm (9-9.5-inch) cake pan with a removable bottom. Sprinkle pan with bread crumbs or flour, make sure you get some on the sides of the pan aswell.
3. Melt butter and let cool.
4. Beat the eggs and sugar until lighter in color and texture, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the melted butter.
5. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Gently stir the flour
mixture into the egg mixture. Add lemon zest and milk and stir until batter is smooth.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
8. Let cake cool for 10 minutes before sliding a knife
around the edge and removing the sides of the pan. Let cool to room temperature.

Balsamic strawberries & topping
1. Hull the strawberries and cut them into thirds lengthwise. Place them in a bowl and toss with sugar, balsamico, salt, vanilla and lemon zest. Cover the bowl and let stand for 30 minutes until the berries release their juices. Toss every now and then.
2. Prick holes in the cake with a toothpick and spoon some of the juices from the berries on top of the cake.
3. Whip the cream with the sugar to soft peaks. Spread the whipped cream on top of the cake. Spoon strawberries on top and decorate with some mint leaves. Drizzle any leftover “juice” on top of the cake.
 

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