Call Me Cupcake

Sweet food & photography

Winter

Gingerbread Cookies

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Some years ago I thought lace doilies where.. uhm, let’s say something you would find at your grandma’s house (absolutely no offence to grandmothers, they’re the best). And now all of a sudden, you can find them in my house. It’s funny how some things change. I see lace doilies a lot since I go to flea markets every week, and one day when I saw a huge stack of them I got an idea.

The pattern is often quite beautiful and would translate well onto cookies. So I picked out a few, the trick is to choose the ones that are smooth and non hairy (in lack of a better word) or you’ll end up with hairs in you cookies. And of course, it should also be clean!

I see myself as decent at piping gingerbread houses, but cookies? Nope. Not sure why! That’s why I looove these cookies. They look fancy and there’s almost no extra work! I’ll be using some of them as gift tags together with wax paper and silk ribbons from Nåde.


Gingerbread cookies

Makes approximately 75 cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g (1 scant stick) salted butter
  • 75 ml (1/3 cup) molasses or dark syrup
  • 135 g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 75 ml (1/3 cup) heavy cream
  • 300 g (approx. 2 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine butter, molasses and sugar in a saucepan and place over medium heat. When the mixture is melted, stir in the spices, remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream.
  2. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pieces of dough to about 5-6 mm thickness. Dust some flour over the dough. Place a clean lace doily on top and gently press it onto the dough, then roll out the dough to 3-4 mm thickness. The cookies need to be quite thin or they will puff up too much in the oven and the pattern will fade. Gently remove the doily and cut out cookies using cookie cutters or a knife.
  5. Bake the cookies for 5-6 minutes depending on size. If you’d like to use them as gift tags, make a small hole with a toothpick as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Let cool completely.

Homemade Chai Concentrate + Chai Latte

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It’s been a couple of years since I made a post about edible gifts, so I thought it was about time!  Thses posts are actually some of my favorite things to create and this recipe is just SO good. I already made three huge batches (I didn’t give any of it away though, hehee), some of which is waiting for me in the freezer. I’m pretty sure I will make a couple more batches before Christmas, some to keep and some to give away.

What’s also great about this recipe is that it’s so forgiving, and you can tweak it to your own liking. I for example, love my chai lattes to be quite sweet, but if you’re giving it to someone who isn’t keen on sweet things, you can make it with less sweetener.

It also feels more sustainable to not buy so much new stuff, I simply used bottles and jars that I already had at home! I bought a couple from a flea market too, I just cleaned them with a bottle brush and sterilized them in the oven. A lot of people don’t want more things to clutter their homes and minds, so edible gifts are just perfect. And if you have the patience, making some gingerbread house toppers to go with the gift, I’m sure that would be appreciated too! I didn’t use a template for them, I just cut out the pieces with a knife. I did cheat and used store bought dough though..

Here are some more edible gift ideas – flavored sugar from a couple of years ago, and muffin mix, herb salt, cookie mix, another chai latte mix, nutella and granola.

Homemade Chai Concentrate

Makes 6 cups / 1 1/2 litre

This recipe is very forgiving so you can tweak it to your own liking. I’ve tried it with both granulated sugar and a mix of honey and maple syrup and both are delicious! You can’t really taste any difference. I like my chai latte really sweet so I used 200 ml of honey in the recipe, but you can make it without any sweetener too! Don’t worry if the mixture is cloudy, I had that happen when I used honey and loose tea. Any leftover chai concentrate can be frozen in freezer proof containers. And don’t forget to write a little note with instructions to the lucky person who receives the gift!

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 cups (1500 ml) water
  • 100-200 ml (approx. 1/3 cup – 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) honey or maple syrup OR 90-180 g granulated sugar
  • 25 g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 25 whole cloves (about 1/2 tbsp)
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 15 cardamom pods (about 1/2 tbsp), lightly crushed
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • a few pieces of fresh orange peel
  • 5 bags of black tea or 3 tbsp (10 g) loose black tea

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine water and honey/sugar in a large saucepan. Let the mixture come to a boil and stir until honey/sugar is dissolved, then add all ingredients except for the tea. Place a lid on the saucepan and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes.
  2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the tea. Let steep for 10 minutes.
  3. Discard the tea bags and let the mixture cool.
  4. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, then pour into clean and dry airtight jars or bottles. Store in the fridge for up to one week.

Chai Latte

Serves 2

Depending on how sweet you made your chai concentrate and how strong you like your latte, I’d say you’ll want at least 1/3 part chai concentrate to 2/3 parts milk. For more flavour, use equal parts. You can leave out the whipped cream and use a milk frother for the milk. As for the tiny gingerbread houses, I made them using storebought dough, and I basically just cut out pieces with a knife and then ‘glued’ them together with icing!

INGREDIENTS

  • 200 ml (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp.) chai concentrate
  • 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) milk of your choice
  • whipped cream for topping
  • cinnamon, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat the chai concentrate and milk in a saucepan. Pour into cups and top with whipped cream, cinnamon and a tiny gingerbread house/cookie if you want!

Gingerbread Village Cake

By 43 Comments


I have to say, I absolutely LOVED creating this cake. It’s the most fun I’ve had in the kitchen in a long time, and I definitely felt like I was a kid again. Which I think is exactly what baking and blogging should feel like! I can’t say it was without a little bit of frustration too, which is also part of baking, photographing and blogging I guess.

I can’t even remember the last time I piped icing on gingerbread cookies and at first it was just frustrating but after a good night’s sleep (it never fails me), I sort of got the hang of it. I will probably never be a master at it but I do enjoy it! Perhaps this year will be the year I make a gingerbread house again? We’ll see, we’ll see…

I love experimenting with recipes and tried a couple of different versions for the gingerbread layer, but in the end, this one with lingonberries was definitely my favorite. Lots and lots of flavor and so moist (I know a lot of people hate that word but I don’t know what other word to use, hehe).

I also experimented with getting that blueish grey shade on the cake. I was thinking about how blueberry powder reacts when I add lemon juice to it – it becomes pink when you add something acidic, so I figured it would become more blue when adding something alkaline. And it totally worked! Feel free to try it if you want, or don’t if you think it sounds weird. I promise you it’s not though! Hope you like it!

GINGERBREAD VILLAGE CAKE

Makes one 9-inch layer cake

Some notes about this recipe:
-If you can’t find lingonberry jam for this recipe, I bet frozen lingonberries would work too, just thaw them and stir them together with a little bit of sugar. Apple sauce might work too but I haven’t tried either of those suggestions.
-I used store-bought gingerbread dough for this cake but feel free to make your own! If your cookies float out too much during baking, be prepared with a sharp knife as soon as they get out of the oven – and cut the edges again. The cookies are still soft when they get out of the oven!
-Because I prefer not to use artificial food coloring, I experimented with black sesame and blueberry powder! I wanted the cake to be slightly grey/blue so I added some black sesame paste which does give a slight taste to the cake. Omit the sesame seeds if you know you don’t like them. I added baking soda to blueberry powder to change the ph of it. This doesn’t affect the flavor at all, but feel free to omit this from the recipe if you want. Or use a food coloring of your choice! Or just leave the cake white. All options are totally fine!

INGREDIENTS

Gingerbread cake

  • 200 g (1 3/4 stick) salted butter
  • 360 g (2 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. flaky salt
  • 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp. ground ginger
  • 1 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
  • 2 tsp. freshly ground cloves
  • 1 tsp. allspice (can be omitted)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 360 g (1 2/3 cup) granulated sugar
  • 250 ml (1 cup) sour cream
  • 150 ml (2/3 cup) lingonberry jam

Gingerbread cookies

  • about 500 g of gingerbread dough (I used store-bought but feel free to use homemade)
  • 150 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp. lemon juice (or as needed)

Frosting

  • 200 g (1 3/4 stick) softened butter (I use salted but feel free to use unsalted)
  • 250 g (1 2/3 cup) powdered sugar
  • 300 g cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla bean powder
  • zest from 1 orange
  • 2 tbsp. black sesame seeds + 2 tbsp. maple syrup (can be omitted)
  • 2 tsp. blueberry powder + 1/4 tsp. baking soda + 1-2 tsp. water (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

GINGERBREAD CAKE

  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour two 23-24 cm (9 inch) springform pans. Set aside.
  2. Melt the butter and set aside.
  3. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  4. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes.
  5. Add the dry ingredients and butter to the egg mixture in additions, and stir until completely smooth. Stir in the sour cream and lingonberry jam.
  6. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack for 25-27 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  7. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

  1. Knead the dough lightly with floured hands to make it soft and pliable. Lightly flour the table and the rolling pin and roll out to 2-3 mm thickness.
  2. Cut out little house shaped cookies using a knife, or a cookie cutter if you have one (I made my cookies between 5-8 cm high, as the cake is around 8 cm high). Bake the cookies at 175°C (350°F) for about 5-8 minutes depending on size. Let cool completely.
  3. Stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Start with a small amount of juice and add more until icing reaches a good piping consistency. Your mixture should be thick enough that it will not run when piped, but not so thick that you can’t squeeze it through a piping bag.
  4. Transfer icing to piping bag and cut a tiny hole in the bag for piping. Decorate the cookies and let the icing harden before placing the cookies on the cake.

FROSTING

  1. Beat butter and powdered sugar until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat until just smooth. Stir in the orange zest.
  2. Place the black sesame seeds and maple syrup in a mortar and pestle. Crush and grind the seeds until a paste forms. Stir the paste into the frosting.
  3. If the frosting seems soft, place the bowl in the fridge while you prepare the next steps.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Cut both cake layers in half using a serrated knife so you get four cake layers.
  2. Place 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 few minutes if the frosting is soft.
  4. Place the blueberry powder and baking soda in a small bowl and stir in some water. Let stand for a couple of minutes, then add to the remaining frosting. Stir until smooth.
  5. Cover the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate with the gingerbread cookies. I placed toothpicks behind the cookies on top of the cake to get them to stand up. Dust with snow (aka powdered sugar) if desired.

Lemon crème fraiche ice cream

By 30 Comments

I’ve been so into making ice cream lately and this is a recipe that I’m sort of obsessed with. It’s SO good. Truly a favorite of mine. I can’t believe it’s been like… almost 6 years since I made an ice cream book. Six YEARS. I haven’t been making ice cream regularly since then and now I keep asking myself why.

What I love about ice cream, except for the most obvious reason – that it’s frickin delicious – Is that it’s so easy to make and that I can’t photograph it for 4 hours straight. Because it melts! I love that, and it saves me so much time. Hehe. I know a lot of people think it’s too cold to eat ice cream this time of year, so I’m really longing for it to get a little bit warmer outside, and I’m so looking forward to making ice cream with rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries…. I could go on. Can’t wait!

But for now, I’m super stoked about this lemon crème fraiche ice cream with a little bit of honey for good measure.

Lemon crème fraiche ice cream

Makes approximately 1/2 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

  • 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) water
  • 60 g (4 1/2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • pinch of salt
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) milk
  • 200 ml (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp.) full fat crème fraiche
  • 1 tbsp. vodka (can be omitted)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine water, sugar, honey and salt in a saucepan. Let the mixture come to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in lemon zest, juice, milk and crème fraiche and beat until completely smooth. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge until completely cold, about 2 hours. Stir in vodka if using.
  2. 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, then loosely cover the surface of the ice cream with wax paper and freeze until firm, about 2-4 hours.

Chocolate cake with chocolate chip mascarpone filling and chocolate fudge frosting

By 44 Comments

Sponsored post.

Spring is nowhere to be seen, which also means there is no produce yet. Chocolate to the rescue! I don’t mind at all, although I do long to see the first rhubarb stalks at the market. Sooner than later, I hope. But for now, I have chocolate and that’s pretty great.

This chocolatey beauty of a cake is perfect for anyone who loves chocolate as it’s super rich and moist, made with chocolate from Tales chocolate. The chocolate bar, “Gamla Stan” is created to tell a story of Stockholm’s Old Town with a sculptural map on the bar itself, but also through the flavour and taste experience. This is their first chocolate bar, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next! They’re sold at selected Designtorget stores in Stockholm and they also have an online shop with worldwide shipping, in case you yourself would like a small piece of Stockholm!

I rarely buy 85% chocolate because I tend to think it’s too strong for me, but I was so wrong! This one is smooth and fruity, perfect to eat as is, and also wonderful for baking. It looks good, it tastes good, and it’s also organic, fair trade and additive free. I mean, what more could one wish for?

As for the cake, I had one piece the day I made it, and one piece the day after and I must say it keeps getting better and better. I gave the leftovers to my mom, and she’s been eating it for a few days now. She says it gets even better, especially with a little sprinkle of salt.

*This post was made in collaboration with Tales chocolate. All opinions are as always, my own 🙂

Chocolate cake with chocolate chip mascarpone filling and chocolate fudge frosting

Makes one 8-inch cake, serves 10-12

Ingredients

Chocolate cake

  • 200 g (~1 3/4 sticks) salted 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
  • 315 g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. flaky salt
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 150 ml (2/3 cup) sour cream
  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) hot coffee

Chocolate chip mascarpone filling

  • 250 g mascarpone
  • 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
  • 150 ml (2/3 cup) heavy cream
  • pinch of salt
  • 80 g (2.8 oz) dark chocolate (85%), finely chopped

Chocolate fudge frosting

  • 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate (85%), chopped
  • 175 g (~1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened
  • 150 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
  • 4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) cocoa powder
  • 2-3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
  • 4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) sour cream (can be omitted, but tastes really nice with the chocolate)
  • flaky salt, to sprinkle

Instructions

Chocolate cake

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter two 20 cm (8-inch) cake pans and dust them with flour or cocoa powder.
  2. Melt the butter, add milk and set aside to cool.
  3. 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.
  4. Add the hot coffee and stir until smooth (batter will be quite liquid at this point).
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake the cakes on the lowest rack for 22-26 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  6. When cakes are completely cool, split them in half using a serrated knife.

Chocolate chip mascarpone filling

  1. In a medium bowl, beat mascarpone and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the cream and salt and beat until mixture thickens. Stir in the chopped chocolate.

Chocolate fudge frosting & assembly

  1. Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool.
  2. Beat butter, powdered sugar and cocoa powder until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled, melted chocolate and beat until smooth. Add milk or heavy cream and sour cream and beat until incorporated. If frosting feels loose, put the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes.
  3. Place the first cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread with a layer of mascarpone filling. Repeat with remaining layers.
  4. Spread the chocolate frosting on the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula. If you have chocolate frosting left over, feel free to pipe it on top of the cake. Sprinkle with flaky salt.

Gluten free chocolate chip pancakes

By 20 Comments

This weekend has been all about work, but yesterday I had some free time to actually prepare a good, hearty breakfast which we had in bed. Mozart decided to join us too, as he always does. Especially when there are pancakes.

Pancakes are his favorite thing in the world, except maybe bacon and cheese, but unfortunately he didn’t get to taste these ones as they had chocolate in them. I bet he’d love some bacon/cheese pancakes! Hmm, possibly for his birthday.

And guys, seriously, this bedding from By Mölle!! I must say this is the most beautiful bed linen I’ve ever seen, and the most comfortable too. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever slept more comfortably. Mozart completely agrees, and he’s quite picky 🙂

They also come in the most beautiful range of muted colors, I decided to go for almond for the duvet and hazelnut for the cushions, and an almond linen throw. I’ve had grey bedding for a while and I must say these give a warmth to the room, it’s way more inviting now.

As for these pancakes, they’re definitely perfect for an indulgent Saturday breakfast!

*This post was made in collaboration with By Mölle, but as always, all opinions are my own!

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES

Serves 1-2

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g (1 cup) almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg white
  • 75-100 ml (5-7 tbsp.) water or milk of choice
  • 30 g dark chocolate, chopped
  • salted butter, for frying
  • maple syrup, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda and salt. Add honey, egg and egg white and stir until smooth.
  2. Add water or milk to the batter until consistency becomes a bit more runny, but still thick (you might need to add a little bit more to the bowl while you’re frying as the batter thickens). Stir in the chopped chocolate.
  3. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Grease with butter. Ladle a little less than 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake into the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for about two minutes, then flip the pancake and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup.

Lemon poppy seed bundt cake with a lemon syrup & blueberry glaze

By 35 Comments

I’ve struggled to come up with something to bake for the blog lately, but when I saw this pan in a second hand shop, I knew immediately what I wanted to make. Inspiration is a funny thing. It comes and goes, and usually it comes when you least expect it.

I have to act on it when it comes, which means a lot of other important things get pushed to the side. You know, as in eating well, taking care of myself, seeing friends, responding to calls and texts (who am I kidding, I never respond to calls), wearing something other than yoga pants. I started doing yoga almost every day though so at least I have an excuse for the yoga pants.

I think I’ve been in hermit mode since I quit my nine-to-five job, almost five years ago. I thank my friend Carey for encouraging me to take the mbti-test (16 personalitites) which has been sort of life changing for me. It made me understand myself, as an infp, and other people (yes, I forced everyone I know to take the test!) so much better.

But I digress. Cake! I made another version of this cake almost one year ago but was never happy with the recipe. Up until now, I haven’t had a proper lemon cake on my blog. HOW is this possible?

I adore lemon cake, especially with poppy seeds. And what a lemon cake it is, the best one I’ve made – by far! Soaked in lemon syrup and with a blueberry glaze. And how beautiful is that pan? I might make a pudding in it next time. Wouldn’t it be perfect for that?


LEMON POPPY SEED BUNDT CAKE WITH A LEMON SYRUP & BLUEBERRY GLAZE

Serves 8

You can also bake this cake in a loaf pan! If you’re baking in a vintage cake pan, make sure to check doneness before removing the cake from the oven. I had to bake it for almost 70 minutes when using a vintage pan, , whilst in a new pan it only took 47 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

BUNDT CAKE

  • 210 g (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 225 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
  • 125 g (slightly more than 1 stick) softened salted butter
  • 3 large eggs
  • 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp. poppy seeds

LEMON SYRUP

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 55 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

BLUEBERRY GLAZE

  • 3/4 tsp. freeze dried blueberry powder
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 75 g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp. milk
  • Poppy seeds, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a 6 cup (1 1/2 litre) bundt or loaf pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. Place the sugar in a large bowl. Add the finely grated lemon zest and rub together until sugar is fragrant and zest is incorporated. Add the butter and beat until mixture is light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
  4. In a small bowl, combine heavy cream and lemon juice. Add the flour mixture and cream mixture in additions to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, and stir until batter is smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake on the lowest rack in the oven for 45-50 minutes (start checking doneness around 35-40 minutes, and cover the top with foil if the cake is browning too much) or until a cake tester comes out clean. While the cake is baking, you can prepare the syrup (instructions below). Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.

LEMON SYRUP

  1. Combine lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan. Place over medium high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
  2. Brush the cake with the syrup while the cake is still warm, then let the cake cool completely. Place the cake on a cake stand or serving platter.

BLUEBERRY GLAZE

  1. Place blueberry powder in a small bowl. Add a little splash of the lemon juice and stir until a paste forms. Stir in the rest of the lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Add milk to desired consistency.
  2. Drizzle glaze over the cake and sprinkle poppy seeds on top.

Blood orange sherbet

By 8 Comments

It’s been months since I last made ice cream. Way too long. I’ve been thinking about making “Ice cream flavor of the month” a recurring thing on the blog. How’s that for an idea?

A delicious, seasonal ice cream recipe every month, starting with this incredibly refreshing blood orange sherbet. Even if there’s snow on the ground, like there is now, it’s never too cold to eat ice cream (I mean, as long as you eat it inside?).

I adore oranges, as you’ve probably noticed in like.. my last 10 posts, but even more so, I adore blood oranges. They’re available for such a short period of time every year and I want to make the most out of it. And how about that beautiful color?


Maybe you’re wondering what sherbet is. I know, it does sounds weird, doesn’t it? It’s basically a mix between sorbet and ice cream. Simply the best of two worlds, creamier than sorbet but lighter and fresher than ice cream.

And as always, the vodka can totally be omitted. I added almost 3 tbsp. and seriously, the ice cream is soft straight from the freezer! I didn’t add very much sugar because I like it fresh, but you can totally increase the amount if you want it to be sweeter. Make sure to taste the mixture and add sugar to your liking, as instructed in the recipe below.

BLOOD ORANGE SHERBET

Makes 1/2 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 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

  • 2 tsp. blood orange zest
  • 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) blood orange juice (I juiced 6 very small oranges)
  • 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) heavy cream
  • 75 – 100 g (1/3 cup – 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1-3 tbsp. vodka (can be omitted)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine zest, juice, cream, sugar to taste (I used 75 g) and salt in a bowl. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge until completely cold, about 2 hours.
  2. Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer if you want it to be completely smooth. 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, then loosely cover the surface of the ice cream with wax paper and freeze until firm, about 2-4 hours.

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Apple pie with a purple blueberry crust

By 28 Comments


Purple pie crust. It’s a thing of beauty. To be honest I had no idea if it would even work! But I knew I had to give it a shot as soon as the idea popped up in my head. And since we have some beautiful winter apples, I figured that would be the best way to go. Because you can never really go wrong with apple pie, am I right?

Some tips if you’re thinking about making this pie, or pies in general. Make sure not to brush the pie with any egg wash if you want to keep the purple color. It won’t be as impressively purple after baking, but as you can see it will keep some of the color! I wasn’t really thinking too much during my first try, so I brushed the pie with egg white.

Needless to say, the pie browned a lot and you could see very little of the purple. The second time, I left it as is (as you can see in the photos) but used a little less (maybe 1 1/2 tbsp.) blueberry powder so the pie came out a lot lighter. Next time, I’ll use more blueberry powder and I might brush it with a syrup right after baking, like I did HERE. I bet that would be delicious and it would also give a nice sheen to the pie!

Blueberry powder is easily accessible in Sweden, where you can find it in super markets and in health stores. I used the brand Kung Markatta, and it gave this beautiful color. Different brands can give slightly different colors of purple/red. The blueberry powder doesn’t really give any blueberry flavor, and it also doesn’t affect the consistency of the crust.

You can totally make this pie without the blueberry powder too! It’ll still be SO incredibly delicious. I say apples and oranges were meant for each other. You can totally use lemon zest and juice too, if that’s more up your alley. Make sure to use apples that are not overly ripe. That’ll make the filling mushy. Oh, and the pie dough can be made up to a day ahead.

If you’re making a very tight lattice like I have here, make sure there are still some small holes for the filling to seep through, or your lattice might puff up during baking and break. And always let the pie cool completely after baking to make sure the filling firms up. If you want to serve the pie warm, re-heat each individual slice instead.

I think that’s about it.. although I can go on and on about pies!

APPLE PIE WITH A PURPLE BLUEBERRY CRUST

Makes one pie

Make sure to read the post above for tips and tricks on this recipe!

 

INGREDIENTS

BLUEBERRY CRUST

  • 2 tbsp. freeze dried blueberry powder
  • 3 tbsp. cold water
  • 300 g (2 cups + 1 tbsp) all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. flaky salt
  • 250 g (2 sticks plus 2 tbsp.) very cold salted butter
  • 1-3 tbsp. ice water (as needed)

APPLE FILLING

  • 1 kg apples (about 6, depeding on size)
  • 100 g (scant 1/2 cup) granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • zest and juice from one small blood orange (about 3 tbsp. juice)
  • 3/4 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 25 g salted butter
  • 2 tbsp. water
  • 2 tbsp. cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS

PIE CRUST

  1. Stir together blueberry powder and water in a small bowl. Set aside. Mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. If you have one, use a cheese slicer to slice the butter thinly – if not, you can 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 or rub the butter into the flour mixture until dough is crumbly but there are still some small visible pieces of butter.
  2. If you want the dough to have a completely smooth purple color – place the mixture in a food processor, add the blueberry powder and water mixture and pulse until just smooth. You might need too add an extra tablespoon or so of ice water if the dough is too dry. Make sure not to overmix the dough!
  3. Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly bigger than the other (the bigger one will be for the lattice top). Place each piece of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten into discs using a rolling pin. Place in the fridge for at least one hour.

APPLE FILLING

  1. Peel and core the apples and slice them in about 6 mm (1/4 inch) thick slices. Place the slices in a bowl and add sugar, salt, zest, juice, cardamom and cinnamon. Gently fold so that everything is distributed evenly. Let stand for about 5-10 minutes or until the apples start releasing liquids. Gently stir every now and then.
  2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, and with the pan over medium heat, add the apple mixture and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes or until the apples release more liquid. Stir together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl, and add to the saucepan. Stir constantly until liquids thickens, about 1 minute. Spread filling onto a large plate or a wide bowl and let cool completely.

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).
  2. If the dough is very cold and hard, leave it in room temperature for a little while before rolling it out. Roll out the smaller piece of dough to a large circle on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8 – 1/4 inch (3-5 mm) thick. Make sure to roll and turn the dough so it doesn’t stick – or roll the dough out directly onto a piece of baking paper.
  3. Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough to a 8-9 inch pie pan. Trim the edges of the crust, but make sure to leave a little overhang if you want to crimp the edges. Set aside.
  4. Roll out the second piece of dough, and cut out 10 strips (or the desired amount) of dough using a knife or pizza cutter.
  5. Spoon the cooled filling into the pie pan. Place the strips in a lattice pattern on top of the filling (see a video on how to make a lattice top in THIS POST). Trim excess dough around the edges using a knife or kitchen scissors.
  6. Place the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  7. Remove the pie from the freezer. Place a baking sheet or a piece of baking paper (to catch drips from the pie) on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 200°C (390°F), then lower to 175°C (350°F) and bake for an additional 35 minutes. If the edges are browning too much, cover them loosely with aluminum foil. Turn the oven off and leave the pie in the warm oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely before serving with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Spara

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

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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

  1. 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.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and set aside to cool.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan.

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!). Stir until smooth. Pour caramel into a heat proof bowl and let cool completely.

Meringue topping

  1. Place egg whites, lemon juice and sugar in a clean and heatproof bowl (preferably stainless steel or glass).
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, 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 stir in cream and milk.
  5. Add dry ingredients and butter mixture to the egg mixture in additions, and stir until completely smooth.
  6. 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).
  7. 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

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