Travel & workshops

The Journey 2020 Workshop Announcement + A Salted Double Chocolate Bundt Cake

February 16, 2020 By linda 4 Comments

THE JOURNEY 2020 – June 3-7 in France

I’m so incredibly excited to announce this year’s The Journey Workshop, with me, Sissel, Christian, Elle-May and Olivia.

We will stay in the country side of the Loire Valley in France, in the most beautiful artist home and painting studio with sooo many fantastic opportunites for photography, painting, creating cinemagraphs or short films, branding, or perhaps you’d like to cook or bake something special? This is what The Journey is about, you work on your dream project and we are there to guide and assist you with whatever you need.

We had an incredible experience last year, and were lucky enough to have Elle-May and Christian come for a day as guest teachers but now they are back as hosts! Tickets are released to our mailing list on February 19 and the website on February 20, so make sure to sign up to our mailing list now! If you’d like more information, you can find it here!

Ahh, where do I even begin? It has taken me ages to get this post up for some reason. I don’t even have words for how amazing this experience was! Just incredible and so inspiring. Sissel was kind enough to invite us all into her home in the Loire Valley in France, and it is just the epitome of France – for me, that is, haha. A beautiful old, stone building with so much charm and many quirks. I love that.

I think you all know by now that I’m a woman of few words, so I will let the photos speak for themselves. Hopefully I’ll see you in France instead, and we can experience it together!

Part of the group! Here is Mandy, Christian, Elle-May, Aurore, Kiri, Olivia and Sophia. Outside the frame is Sissel, Didi, Stella and Egle. <3 And I was also lucky to meet Ruth and Melanie on the last day!

*Beautiful ceramics by Tina Kami. Drinking my coffee from one of those cups as I’m writing this!*

Salted Double Chocolate Bundt Cake

Yields one bundt cake, serves 10-12

Some notes about this recipe: I suggest using coffee in the cake as it heightens the chocolate flavor, but water works too. I suggest making it a day ahead of when you plan on serving it because it honestly gets even better after a day or too!

Ingredients

Chocolate cake

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

Dark chocolate glaze

100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate (70%), finely chopped
50 g salted butter
Extra salt to sprinkle

Instructions

Chocolate cake

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 10-cup bundt pan (2.4 liters) and dust with flour or cocoa powder.
Melt the butter, add milk and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Add the butter mixture, eggs and sour cream to the dry ingredients and beat until just smooth.
Add the hot coffee and stir until smooth (batter will be quite runny).
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the lowest rack for about 45 minutes (but start checking around 35 minutes) or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Dark chocolate glaze

Combine the chopped chocolate and butter in a saucepan and place it over low heat. Stir until everything is completely melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Pour the glaze on top of the cake. Sprinkle with extra salt if desired.

*Gorgeous dreamware from Polders Old World Kitchen*

*Sissela and Egle painting on a Son de Flor dress*

*Beautiful pandan chiffon cake by Aurore*

A Guide to Malmö

August 9, 2019 By linda 18 Comments

This post is a paid collaboration with Malmö Town. All opinions are as always, my own.

I’ve been to Malmö many times, but have never really explored the city so I was super excited when Malmö Town reached out to me and asked if I wanted to spend a few days there to create a guide to Malmö. I think you know what my answer was.

There are so many things I love about Malmö, like its’ perfect location – 1 1/2 hours by train from where I live, 20-25 minutes by train from Copenhagen, the many, many fantastic cafées and restaurants, how it’s a very dog friendly city, the relaxed atmosphere and the location right on the southwest coast of Sweden. Malmö is Sweden’s third biggest city and yet it’s the perfect size to explore the city by foot, or even better, by bike! I stayed at Oh Boy Bicycle hotel so a bike was included in my room. Perfect!

Because my trip was very.. let’s say, food based, I didn’t get to try everything that I wanted to. I was SO full most of the time! But I’m blown away by what Malmö has to offer food wise. There are still many amazing spots that I didn’t have time to visit, perhaps there will be a part two in this series?! So now I’d like to know, have you ever been to Malmö? Or are you planning to? Let’s get started with some of my favorite spots…

Mineral

This restaurant is one of my Malmö favorites! Located in the St. Knut area, Mineral offers an all vegan, seasonal menu, natural wines, beers and ciders. Chef David Kjellstenius is incredibly talented, the staff is super nice and knowledgeable and the venue is super beautiful too (there is literally no angle that doesn’t look good!). The dish with cauliflower, sugarsnaps, pickled green tomatoes, fermented lemon and marigold – SO good and so beautiful (just look at the colors!) ! The food is a feast for the eyes too. The chef made a soup from leftover veggies and it was the best soup I’ve ever tasted. And don’t even get me started on the dessert!

Address: Sankt Knuts väg 13

Gram

Gram is Sweden’s first package-free food store where you can bring your own jars and containers and buy spices, dry goods, oils, fruit and vegetables and more, in bulk! I got some great glass containers that I’ve been eyeing for a while. I wish there were more places like this! Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Address: Mäster Danielsgatan 3

Mat- och Chokladstudion

Mat- och Chokladstudion by pastry chef Joel Lindqvist. Super nice little pastry shop that serves amazing pastries and lunch. We stopped by for coffee and I had two tartlets, one with Italian meringue, passion fruit jam and white chocolate ganache and the other one with white chocolate ganache, cardamom, elderflower, lemon and strawberry meringue. Need I say more? They also offered some vegan alternatives which looked out of this world!

Address: Amiralsgatan 18

Atrium

Atrium is a beautiful café located in the Slottsstaden area of Malmö. Their poppy seed cake with a dollop of cream was SO good, exactly what I needed that day! I’ll come back for lunch here next time I’m in Malmö as it looked amazing. They also have a lovely terrace with lots of seating.

Address: Skvadronsgatan 13

St. Jacobs Stenugnsbageri

Right across the street from Atrium is this beautiful, classic bakery with the most delicious cardamom and cinnamon buns – St. Jakobs. At that point, I was so full, but I did bring two buns with me that I ate later that day. So good and with LOTS of cardamom, just the way I like it.

Address: Skvadronsgatan 16

Bageri Leve

Bageri Leve was one of the first spots I visited! I tried the vegan danish and a vegan chocolate caramel hazelnut tart and they were both SO good. The danish was incredibly flaky and the tart was one of the best I’ve tried, super balanced with a good amount of salt, just the way I like it. We also stopped here for lunch one day and I had an amazing rye bread sandwich with corn cream, radishes, pointed cabbage with dill and hazelnuts. Delicious! They have freshly baked bread in the afternoon too, unlike so many other bakeries!

Address: Östra Rönneholmsvägen 6

Florista

Florista is one of the places I had been eyeing for quite a while, it’s just the most beautiful flower shop ever! I had the pleasure of meeting the sweet owner Sophie and her adorable dog Farfar (meaning paternal grandfather in Swedish). Florista’s focus is locally sourced flowers with more of a natural and wild, which is exactly what I love. Sophie also hosts workshops every now and then and I’m definitely signing up for her next one!

Address: Kärleksgatan 4

A•VO•KA•DO

A•VO•KA•DO Great place to grab lunch! I had the avocado toast with beet hummus and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful avocado toast. So good too, with lots of plant based options.

Address: Holmgatan 4

Slottsträdgården/Slottsparken

I was so pleasantly surprised by this beautiful park in the middle of the city! I can’t believe I’ve been to Malmö so many times and have missed this gem. This park is huge too! There’s a lovely café (part of it pictured in the photo below) in the middle of the park, we didn’t have time to sit down for coffee because we had dinner reservations but I’ll go there next time for sure. There were lots of different gardens in the park, for example a dahlia garden which was blooming at the time. So lucky!

Picnic in Slottsträdgården

When I saw the canal I knew we had to stop for a picnic in the park the next day. So we took our bikes to Malmö food hall and bought some things for our picnic. We found a pretty perfect spot, watching all the boats go by in the canal. Pretty great for dog watching too 😉

Malmö Saluhall

I’m usually not a huge fan of food halls but Malmö Saluhall is so beautiful with a great selection of baked goods, artisan cheese, ice cream etc. We stopped here to get some things for our picnic, and some ice cream too (with vegan options of course). Definitely worth a visit!

Address: Gibraltargatan 6

Ivar

Sometimes I really crave sitting on the ground, I don’t know if that sounds weird but it’s true! This was one of those times so when we passed by Ivar on our way to Malmö Saluhall I knew we had to sit down here for a drink. So nice with the view of the canal. They also have a restaurant, with chairs 😉 .

Address: Malmöhusvägen 1

Kitchen & Table Malmö/Skybar

We went up to the Kitchen and table skybar on the 25th floor for cocktails and a fantastic view of Malmö. There’s also a restaurant which we didn’t have time to try, but the cocktails were delicious and they were even made with aquafaba instead of egg whites!

Address: Dag Hammarskjölds Torg 2

Soldäcket, Västra Hamnen

Malmö is such a vibrant city, and this place is no exception! People were hanging out everywhere along the water even though it was a very chilly summer evening. A beautiful place to enjoy the sunset or take a quick dip in the water. Also close to the Turning Torso which is one of Malmö’s most famous landmarks and also Sweden’s tallest building!

Noir Kaffekultur

I stopped by Noir for a quick breakfast and I’m so glad I did! The coffee is delicious and the breakfast bowl I had with yoghurt and ricotta, grilled nectarines, toasted almonds, honey and mint was spot on. Yum. The café is located in a super cozy street in Gamla Väster. A great place for people watching!

Address: Engelbrektsgatan 6

Julie

Julie is a cozy wine bar/cheese shop located in my favorite area in Malmö, Gamla Väster. We went here for lunch one day and it was delicious! What I especially love about this place is that it feels so inviting, like you’re a guest in someone’s apartment or house. Their outdoor seating area is super cozy too!

Address: Tegelgårdsgatan 9

AB Småland

AB Småland is one of my favorite shops in Malmö. I could easily spend hours and hours here! They have pretty much everything I love – vintage furniture, plants & flowers, ceramics, a coffee shop.. what else could one need? Be sure to bring a big suitcase if you’re going to this shop!

Address: Södra Förstadsgatan 25-27

Opopoppa

Opopoppa is cool little spot focusing on pizza slices and natural wines. We stopped by this place twice and their slices are so good! Perfect too if you’re just grabbing a quick lunch and you’re not up for chowing down a whole pizza. Located in the Möllan area.

Address: Simrishamnsgatan 3

Dubbel Dubbel

I’m a little spontaneous so I never got a table at Dubbel Dubbel, it’s definitely a good idea to book in advance. We did however sit down for a drink here and it’s super cozy. Located in the Möllan area.

Address: Simrishamnsgatan 14

Sájvva

Sájvva is an Asian fusion restaurant located in the Slussen area. Definitely one of my favorite meals during this trip! The restaurant is super cozy and the staff is super nice.

Address: Östra Förstadsgatan 29

Far i hatten

Far i hatten is located in the middle of Folkets park, I’ve been here a couple of times before and have tried their awesome pizza. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is relaxed, and the location in the middle of a park is hard to beat!

Apple Pear Galette with Hazelnut Frangipane

September 7, 2018 By linda 19 Comments

There is something special about the light and air this time of year. The days are still fairly long and bright, the air is crisp and the temperatures are finally dropping a little bit to within a comfortable range (for me that is somewhere between 17-22°C). I’ve come to realize my birthday month (September) is actually my favorite month! And possibly May too, so right before and right after summer.

Liv invited me to be a guest teacher at a one-on-one workshop last week. I said yes, of course, and after a three hour card drive we arrived at the most stunning location, an island called Skaftö in Bohuslän – on the Swedish west coast. I’ve always wanted to visit this area, but have never gotten to it. Actually there are lots of places I’d love to visit in Sweden, makes me realize we need more road trips in our lives. And I need a driver’s license. hehe.

I decided the day before what to make at the workshop, as I always do. Very stressful! I wish I wasn’t like that, but it’s part of my process I suppose. It’s as if my brain isn’t working until the very last minute and it’s always been like that. Thankfully, Liv gets it as I think she has a similar process.

We had the sweetest guest one could ask for, Lina, and it was such a pleasure spending time with her and Liv for a day. Wish I had joined them for the whole week, although I would probably have stayed back at the house for the kayaking (I have this thing with being on water).. Though it looked like they had an amazing time!

During my day of guest teaching we talked a lot about camera settings, we practiced shooting movement, like sifting flour. I think we all enjoyed it a bit too much, but Lina’s photos turned out amazing so it was well worth it. We shot both light and dark photos. We shot Liv’s gnocchi (which is AMAZING btw), liquids, oysters and way too many photos of this galette.

So, this galette! Apples and pears go so wonderfully together, especially with the addition of orange and hazelnuts. I know frangipane is supposed to have almonds in it, but I simply didn’t know what else to call it.. Hazelnut… paste? Cream? Hazelnut frangipane sounds better to me. No matter what you decide to call it.. you need to taste this wonderful, wonderful thing.

APPLE PEAR GALETTE WITH HAZELNUT FRANGIPANE

Yields one tart, 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

PIE CRUST

210 g (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. flaky salt
150 g (about 1 + 1/3 stick) very cold salted butter
3-6 tbsp. ice water

HAZELNUT FRANGIPANE

75 g (2/3 cup) hazelnuts
75 g (2/3 stick) softened salted butter
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 medium egg
1 tbsp. all purpose flour

FILLING & TOPPING

500 g fruit (approx. 2 apples & 2 pears)
zest from 1 orange or 1 lemon
2 tbsp. fresh orange or lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. (15 g) salted butter, melted
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 egg
pinch of salt
2 tsp. turbinado sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

PIE CRUST

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 in the butter until dough is crumbly but there are still some small visible pieces of butter.
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.
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.

HAZELNUT FRANGIPANE

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 10-14 minutes, or until they become fragrant and slightly golden brown. Keep a close eye on them as they burn easily! Let cool, then rub the hazelnuts in a clean and dry dishtowel, removing as much of the shells as possible.
In a mixer or food processor, pulse the hazelnuts until finely ground.
Beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and hazelnut flour and beat until smooth. Fold in the all purpose flour. Cover the bowl and set aside.

FILLING & BAKING

Let the dough rest for a few minutes at room temperature. Roll out the 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 to the surface.
Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough to a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
Spread the frangipane over the rolled out dough, leaving the edges free from filling.
Peel the apples and pears and slice them thinly. Place them in a large bowl and add zest, juice, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, butter and flour. Gently toss until all ingredients are combined. Arrange the slices of fruit in a pattern on top of the frangipane.
Fold the edges 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), if you haven’t already.
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.
Bake the tart for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
Serve with vanilla sauce, you can find my recipe HERE.

Points North workshop – Norway 2018

August 21, 2018 By linda 10 Comments

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!

Gotland Workshop 2017 + A 2018 workshop announcement

March 11, 2018 By linda 11 Comments

Some days I just have to pinch myself to be absolutely certain that I’m not dreaming – that this is what I do for a living. Sure, freelancing can be hard at times, especially if you’re working from home, but all the wonderful, inspirational people I get to meet more than make up for it. Definitely one of the perks of social media and blogging!

It’s been a few months since the Gotland workshop together with Olivia of Adelasterfoodtextures and Krissy of Cottage Farm. I needed some time to let the whole experience sink in before sharing it with you, even if I’ve already shared some of the photos on Instagram. All the images I liked were already edited, or so I thought, but boy was I wrong! I had lots more which I edited now, half a year later.

Looking back at these photos makes me miss everyone, our beautiful Gotland farm house and summer! Thanks to all our lovely guests for making this experience possible, and a very special thank you to Sam whose help we couldn’t do without. A special shoutout to the sweet bus lady for driving us everywhere and for being overall awesome.

I’m not very good with words, I think that’s one of the reasons I love photography so much. This was just such a special experience, and I don’t really know how to put that into words.

I’m so very excited to announce our next workshop in Norway! The workshop will be a four day workshop (June 5-8) held at Melgården, a beautiful manor house in the most magical setting. Actually, we visited Melgården back in December when it was freezing – you can find my post about it here – so I’m very excited to see it in summer when the nights are super long (imagine being able to photograph those late dinners!). This time, Kati of Black White Vivid and Sam of The Botanical Kitchen will also join us.

If you’re interested in joining us, you can read more about it and register at Points North Workshops! UPDATE: Workshop is now sold out! To receive early information about upcoming workshops, subscribe to my blog or sign up for Points North’s newsletter.

Thank you to our wonderful partners for our Gotland workshop!

Broste Copenhagen for the beautiful tableware, candles, the gorgeous flatware, glasses, votives, teapots and cheese boards which made our tables look amazing.

Kings Row Coffee for the delicious coffee. It definitely kept me (and I’m sure, everyone else too) going throughout the workshop!

Västergården for the beautiful plates, bowls and dishes which brought so much beauty to our styled tables.

Spara

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

December 22, 2017 By linda 56 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

BROWNIES WITH SALTED CARAMEL AND TOASTED MERINGUE

9-12 servings

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

INGREDIENTS

Brownies

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

Caramel

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

Meringue topping

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

INSTRUCTIONS

Brownies

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

Caramel

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

Meringue topping

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

Assembly

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

GINGERBREAD BUNDT CAKE

Makes 1 bundt

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

INGREDIENTS

Gingerbread bundt cake

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

Cream cheese glaze

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

INSTRUCTIONS

Gingerbread bundt cake

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

Glaze

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

Croatia + a banana bundt cake with hot butterscotch sauce

October 15, 2016 By linda 22 Comments

You know when you go to a place that you’ve been to before, and your expectations are extremely high because your first time there was so perfect? I figured Croatia (to be more precise, Istria) would not live up to the high standards I’d set for it. But it was equally amazing this time. I’m a nostalgic person and I get so sad every time I have to say goodbye a place. Last year I said goodbye to this beautiful place and the kittens… oh the kittens! I didn’t expect to see them ever again, but they were still there this year with the addition of two (or three?) more, very shy kittens. Everything was exactly the same, as if time had stood still. I’m not much for change, so seeing that this place I fell in love with last year was exactly the same made me so happy.
And of course, meeting the wonderful group of people is the very best part. As introverted as I may be (like 94%, hehe), I really love meeting and hanging out with all of these amazing ladies, eating delicious food, talking about life, taking photos, truffleforaging and drinking lots of wine. And waking up to beautiful sunrises and morning fog. I mean, doesn’t that sound like a dream? So thank you again to the ladies of First We Eat, Carey and Eva, for bringing me along on this journey. And to Laurie, Inge, Christiann, Marta, Gia, Anya, Dasha, Maja, Tamara, Anja, Nikole and Joelle for being such an awesome group of people.
I made this delicious, moist banana bundt cake to style and shoot one of the days, and let’s just say it was appreciated by everyone. Even the cats snuck a taste.

Banana bundt cake with hot butterscotch sauce

This cake can be made 1-2 days ahead as long as it’s wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in a airtight container.
Recipe from my book “Sweet food & photography”.

Ingredients

Banana cake

420 g ( 3 cups) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
225 g softened butter
425 g (barely 2 cups) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
250 mL (1 cup) sour cream
4 ripe bananas (600-650 g), mashed

Butterscotch sauce

120 g (2/3 cup) light brown muscovado sugar or brown sugar (firmly packed)
50 g butter
7 tbsp. (100 ml) heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. bourbon or whiskey, can be omitted

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 10 cup (barely 2 1/2 liter) bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth.
Fold the dry ingredients into the butter and egg mixture. Add the sour cream and mashed bananas and stir until batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake on the lower rack for about 65-70 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Keep an eye on the cake so it doesn’t brown too much on top. If it does, cover the pan loosely with a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper (make sure to not seal it, the cake needs room to breathe and rise!). Let the cake cool in its pan for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Butterscotch sauce

Combine sugar and butter in a saucepan. Put pan over medium high heat and stir until everything has melted. Add cream and let come to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
Remove pan from heat and stir in salt and bourbon. Let cool slightly, then drizzle half of the sauce over the cake. The remaining half can be served on the side in case anyone wants more sauce.. which they will. Enjoy!

Spara

Croatia photography & styling workshop

July 25, 2016 By linda 28 Comments

It’s been a few months since the Croatia workshop with the wonderful ladies of First We Eat (Eva and Carey), Maggie and Zhanna and thinking back, I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences ever. Seriously, I will never forget this house. Or the wonderful group of attendees.
I’m not a morning person, not in any way, but waking up at the crack of dawn and seeing that magical view from the house.. totally worth it. And every morning when I came down to the kitchen, Carey, who is definitely a morning person, had already made coffee. Oh, and did I mention the kittens? I could go on about this workshop..
And therefore I’m happy to say, this January I’m coming to Costa Rica with them! I’m sure it will be mindblowing and amazing in every way possible. It’s about photography, chocolate and coffee, literally my favorite things in life. And maybe I’ll even make chocolate cake for you if you come. For more info and registration, please read more HERE.

At the table workshop in Dala-Floda and a triple chocolate cake

October 9, 2015 By linda 52 Comments

After what seemed like a long, long wait, it was finally time to host our very first At the table workshop. It’s been exactly one month since me, Made by Mary, Cashew Kitchen and Rania Maria met up on that sunny Friday in September at Dala-Floda värdshus. We immediately started preparing everything for our ten guests who were arriving in just a few short hours. I was filled with anticipation, but it was also pretty nerve-racking to say the least. I have never taught styling before and knew that it was going to be a challenge to put words on why, and how I do things without just stating the obvious “uhmm, because it looks good”. I knew that I had this chocolate cake up my sleeve though, to sway the guests just in case I would forget everything I was supposed to say (which is something I tend to do when I’m nervous). I didn’t get to see Maria’s styling session but I know she’s a natural teacher and really awesome at explaning her creative process. I did get to see Agnes’ session though and she was just fantastic.

I brought my favorite chocolate chip cookies for the guests styling session. It was so much fun to see them all at work, they were all so creative, talented and kind. I wish we had a couple more days to spend together!

I didn’t take a lot of photos this weekend, simply because there was no time with all the preparations. But I did get a few good ones. Rania filmed and photographed every move we made though so make sure to check that out!

Thanks to our amazing sponsors Broste Copenhagen (for the beautiful bowls and linen napkins for our guests, and bowls and plates for our welcome table below), Saltå Kvarn (for the delicious snacks and drinks for the guests welcome gift), Arla (for the delicious dairy products for our meals) & Wålstedts Gård (for the gorgeous biodynamic veggies)! This wouldn’t have been possible without you!

For more info on upcoming events, check out atthetable.se, and for more photos from this event, check out the photo gallery! Also, make sure to follow us on Facebook. Check the tag #atthetableworkshops on instagram to see all the photos from the event!

Organic milk from Arla.
Photo by Rania Maria

Organic juices from Saltå Kvarn.
Photo by Rania Maria

Bowls from Broste Copenhagen.
Photo by Rania Maria

Biodynamic veggies from Wålstedts Gård

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Makes one delicious 6-inch (15 cm) cake
Adapted from one of my own recipes, from my book Sweet food & photography

This cake is known as my favorite chocolate cake ever, the one I bring to almost all events and the cake that converts all the chocolate haters out there to chocolate lovers. Everyone who tries this frosting ask me exactly how I made it, and if it’s actually a mousse. Try it, it’s the best!

INGREDIENTS
CHOCOLATE CAKE
75 g butter (I use salted)
barely 1 1/2 cups (315 g) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups (180 g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (60 g) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup milk (175 ml), at room temperature
3/4 cup hot water (175 ml)

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
100 g milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
100 g dark chocolate (70%), coarsely chopped
2 3/4 sticks (about 300 g) softened butter (I use salted)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (90 g) powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla powder

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
75 g dark chocolate (70%), coarsely chopped
3 tbsp (45 g) butter

TOPPING
Chopped/crushed maltesers

INSTRUCTIONS
CHOCOLATE CAKE
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour two 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans.
2. Melt the butter and set aside.
3. Put sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add melted butter, milk and eggs and beat until just smooth.
4. Add the hot water and stir until smooth (batter will be very liquid, don’t worry, it’s supposed to be like that).
5. Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, checking doneness with a tootpick before removing from the oven.
6. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes, the invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
1. Melt all the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Beat the butter until very pale and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and beat for 1 minute.
3. Add the melted chocolate and beat for another 2 minutes or until very fluffy.

ASSEMBLY (check out my guide on how to fill and cover a cake here)
1. If cakes are rounded on top, even out with a knife. Cut both cake
layers in half using a sharp serrated knife (you’ll end up with four
thinner layers). Put the first layer on a cake board or a cake stand.
Spread buttercream on the first layer. Add the next layer and repeat
until you’ve used up all four layers
2. Spread a thin layer of buttercream all over the cake (this is the
crumb coating layer, to hold all the crumbs in place) using an offset
spatula. Put the cake in the fridge for about 10 minutes or until the
crumb coating layer has firmed up a bit (leave the bowl of frosting in
room temperature).
3. Spread the remaining buttercream all over the cake until cake is
smooth. For a totally even and smooth surface, dip an offset spatula in
warm water and dry it between every pass. Works like a charm!
4. Put the cake in the fridge while you make the chocolate glaze (this will make sure that the glaze will firm up quickly when you pour it over the cake, so don’t skip this step).

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
1. Place the chopped dark chocolate and butter in a saucepan and melt on low heat. Set aside until room temperature (but still liquid, not firm!).
2. Pour the glaze over the cake and quickly spread it over the edges of the cake to make it run down the sides.
3. If you have left over buttercream, pipe some blobs on top of the cake. Decorate with maltesers.

Iceland + iambear

October 24, 2014 By linda 18 Comments

I made a video for up-and-coming artist Iambear while I was in Iceland. Such perfect scenery for this song (which is called 16:40 by the way) I think. Listen to more awesome music from Iambear on Soundcloud. Note to self, next time, bring a working tripod to windy Iceland.