Call Me Cupcake

Sweet food & photography

Cream cheese frosting

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.

Carrot cake with lime cream cheese frosting & salted caramel sauce

By 17 Comments

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.

 

Citrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting

By 15 Comments

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

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

Citrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting
ClementinesCitrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting
Citrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting
Citrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting
Citrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting
Citrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting Citrus ginger cake with honey chocolate frosting

CITRUS GINGER CAKE WITH HONEY CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Yields one 8-inch cake, serves 8-10

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

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

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

FROSTING

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

BRÛLÉED CITRUS

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

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

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

FROSTING & ASSEMBLY

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

BRÛLÉED CITRUS

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

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Chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting

By 43 Comments

Chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting Chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting  By popular demand… here it is. The chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting and dark chocolate glaze. Or to be more specific- chocolate heaven. I didn’t make it for the blog and wasn’t initially going to post the recipe, but that would have been kind of selfish, wouldn’t it? I made it for my brother who turned 20 the other day aaand let’s just say he and my other little brother had two pieces each in one go. He later said that he dreamed about it that night and that he had a piece for breakfast too. Apparently it was even better the day after. I didn’t want to cut into his birthday cake just to take photos, which is the reason I only have photos of the outside of the cake. But at least you can see all the layers!

I know I’ve been swearing by my other go-to chocolate cake recipe (find it HERE) but I’m kind of leaning towards this one being my new favorite. It bakes up beautifully and comes out fairly flat on top. I adapted the cake recipe from one of my own books, My sweet kitchen (my third book, originally Sweet food & photography in Sweden), which will be out in the US on February 17. You can pre-order it on Amazon already!  I adapted this cake from the stout cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and chocolate pretzels (yum!). I doubled the recipe and used milk and coffee in place of stout. Feel free to try out stout in this recipe too! I bet it would be delicious.

On another note, I usually only use two pans when I make cake but this time I used three. If you only have two pans and want to make this cake, I say go ahead and bake it in two pans, then split the layers in half so you end up with four layers. There should be enough frosting for it. Just make sure to adjust the baking time which will be a little longer, but start checking at 35 minutes anyway. Oh, and make sure to use baking pans that are not too shallow. Just FYI!

Chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting Chocolate, cocoa powder and saltChocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting Chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting Chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting
Chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting

Chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut frosting & dark chocolate glaze

Yields one 6-inch cake, serves 8-10

Ingredients

Chocolate sour cream cake

  • 200 g (~1 3/4 sticks) butter
  • 125 mL (1/2 cup) milk
  • 240 g (1 2/3 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 68 g (2/3 cup) cocoa powder
  • 315 g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 150 mL (2/3 cup) sour cream
  • 125 mL (1/2 cup) hot coffee

Chocolate filling

  • 75 g (2.6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate (50%)
  • 35 g (2 1/2 tbsp) butter
  • pinch of salt

Chocolate hazelnut frosting

  • 150 g (~1 1/4 sticks) butter, softened
  • 100 g (~1/2 cup) cream cheese, cold
  • 60 g (1/3 cup + 2 tbsp) powdered sugar
  • 250 g (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella, or make your own -recipe HERE)
  • pinch of salt

Dark chocolate glaze

  • 75 g (2.6 oz) dark chocolate (70%)
  • 45 g (3 tbsp) butter
  • pinch of salt

Decoration

  • chocolate sprinkles

Instructions

Chocolate sour cream cake

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter three 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans and dust them with 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).
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans. Bake the cakes on the lower rack for 32-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate filling

  1. Coarsely chop the semi-sweet chocolate and place it in a saucepan together with butter, over low heat. Stir often until everything is melted. Add a pinch of salt. Let cool to spreadable consistency – meanwhile you can prepare the frosting.

Chocolate hazelnut frosting & assembly

  1. Beat butter until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, chocolate hazelnut spread and salt and beat until frosting is completely smooth and fluffy. If frosting feels loose, put the bowl in the fridge for a while.
  2. Place the first cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread with chocolate filling, then pipe or spread a layer of frosting on top (make sure to save some frosting for piping the top of the cake). Don’t pipe or spread all the way out to the edge as the weight of the cake will make it spread.
  3. Place the second layer on top of the first layer. Spread second layer with chocolate filling, then pipe or spread a layer of frosting on top. Put the third layer on top. Put the cake in the fridge to stabilize it while you prepare the dark chocolate glaze.

Dark chocolate glaze & decoration

  1. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a saucepan together with butter, over low heat. Stir often until everything is melted. Add a pinch of salt. Let cool to room temperature (but make sure it doesn’t thicken too much, it should still be liquid). Pour the glaze over the cake and quickly spread it over the edges of the cake to make it run down the sides.
  2. Pipe some blobs of frosting on top of the cake and decorate with chocolate sprinkles.

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A peach carrot cake with cream cheese frosting + A Saveur blog awards finalist!

By 51 Comments

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First things first… THIS CAKE! Peach and carrot may sound like a strange combination but it definitely isn’t. It’s one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever made, and I ate about half of it in a couple of days (don’t worry, the other half was eaten too, but not by me).

And you know what else? I forgot about my blog birthday.. yet again. I forget every year! I guess that happens when the blog is growing up, each birthday gets less and less noteworhty. Now the blog is 7 years old. Crazy!

I also have some other exciting news to share with you.. I’m one of the finalists in the Best Baking & Sweets category in the Saveur Blog Awards. It’s seriously such a great honor to be a finalist! Click here to view all finalists and to cast your votes, or click the Saveur link in the sidebar to the right. Remember to vote early and often!







PEACH CARROT CAKE
WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Makes one 6-inch cake, serves 8-10
Ingredients
For the cake
150 g salted butter
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (135 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (65 g) light brown muscovado sugar, firmly packed
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1 1/4 cups (180 g) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp ground cinnamon
250 g carrots (about 1 3/4 cups when grated)
1 can (around 410 g) of peach halves in juice (2/3 cup of peach puree will be used in the cake, save the rest for filling)

For the cream cheese frosting
150 g softened butter
200 g cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 – 1 cup (110-150 g) powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla powder

For the filling
Remaining peach puree

Caramelized peaches
3-4 fresh peaches (I used donut peaches)
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar, loosely packed

Fresh blackberries

Directions
Cake
1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Butter and flour two 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans.
3. Melt the butter and leave to cool.
4. Beat eggs and sugars until fluffy and lighter in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Add melted butter and vanilla and beat until combined.
5. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl, then stir into the batter until just smooth.
6. Peel and grate the carrots. Put the peaches (without the juice) in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
7. Add grated carrots and 2/3 cup of the peach puree to the batter and stir until combined. Divide batter between the two cake pans.
8. Bake for about 40-43 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Leave to cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream cheese frosting
1. Beat butter until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until just smooth.
2. Put the bowl in the fridge while you cut the cake.

Assembly (Check out my ‘How to fill and cover a cake’-guide)
1. Cut both cake layers in half with a serrated knife so you end up with 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, then spread a layer of the peach puree over. Repeat this until you’ve used up all layers.
3. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake and put in the fridge while you prepare the topping.

Caramelized peaches
1. Slice the fresh peaches. Heat the butter over medium heat in a non-reactive skillet. Add brown sugar and swirl with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts.
2. Add the peach slices and caramelize for 2-3 minutes. Let cool completely, then put them on top of the cake with blackberries.

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Sourcream rhubarb cupcakes with ginger cream cheese frosting and poached rhubarb

By 70 Comments

I have a confession to make.
Up until now I haven’t really been too
fond of rhubarb. I mean I’ve always loved the taste but thought it
was way to tart, stringy and tough. I’m not going to blame it on the
rhubarb though, obviously I’ve done something wrong when cooking it.
I made this poached rhubarb with
cardamom yesterday and it was heavenly. Even Christian ate two
cupcakes and said that rhubarb never tasted so good. I can tell you
he’s usually no fan of cupcakes, nor is he a fan of rhubarb.
So dear rhubarb, please forgive me for
all the bad things I’ve said about you in the past. It’s not you, it’
me.
And thank you for being so good with
vanilla, ginger and cardamom.
To all my Swedish readers: I hear you!
I’ll try to figure out some way of posting most recipes in Swedish
too but right now my time is very limited (third book is taking up
all of my time right now). I hope you understand! xx









Sourcream rhubarb cupcakes with ginger cream cheese frosting and poached rhubarb

 

Sourcream rhubarb cupcakes
Makes 12 normal size cupcakes, or 18-24 medium to mini. Remember to bring all ingredients to
room temperature before baking
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups + 2 tbsp (195 g) all purpose flour
¾ cup + 1 tbsp (180 g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
100 g softened butter
2 medium eggs
½ cup (125 ml) sour cream
½ tsp vanilla extract or ¼ tsp vanilla powder
100 g rhubarb, trimmed and finely chopped (about ¾ cup)

 

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350F). Prepare a baking pan for normal size cupcakes with 12 cupcake
liners, or a mini cupcake pan with 24 liners (I made medium to mini sized ones so I ended up with 18).
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add butter, eggs, sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in chopped rhubarb.
4. Divide batter amongst the cupcake liners and bake for 20-23 minutes for normal size cupcake, 18 minutes for medium and 15 minutes for mini. Check doneness with a toothpick before removing from the oven. Let cool.

 

Poached rhubarb with cardamom
Ingredients
100 g rhubarb, trimmed and finely
chopped (about ¾ cup)
1/3 cup + 1  1/2 tbsp (100ml) water
3 tbsp granulated sugar
¼ – ½ tsp freshly ground cardamom (to taste, can be omitted or replaced with vanilla)

 

Instructions
1. Put rhubarb, water, sugar and cardamom in a saucepan.
2. Let simmer very gently for about 3-5 minutes or until rhubarb is soft, not mushy!
3. Put a strainer on top of a bowl. Pour mixture into strainer and put the rhubarb pieces in another bowl to cool. Pour the liquid back into the saucepan and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Pour into a bowl to let cool. Mix together rhubarb and liquid.

 

Ginger cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
150 g softened butter
1 – 1 ¼ cups (120 – 180 g, to taste) powdered sugar
200 g cream cheese
¼ – ½ tsp dried ground ginger (can be omitted or replaced with fresh finely grated ginger)
pink food coloring, if desired

 

Instructions
1. Beat butter until pale. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and pale, about 1 minute.
2. Add cream cheese, ginger and food coloring and beat until smooth.

 

Assembly
1. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round piping with frosting.
2. Pipe ”blobs” on top of each cupcake. Use an offset spatula or a spoon to create a swirl or a well
in each blob.
3. Spoon poached rhubarb on top and decorate with apple blossoms.


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Carrot cake deluxe

By 94 Comments

Just yesterday it snowed like crazy. The biggest snowflakes I’ve ever seen. 
Seemed like it would be winter forever.
One hour later, it was all gone. 
I know it will probably be winter for another 2 months at least, but I already have that spring feeling.
The days are brighter and longer and the light today was just amazing. I couldn’t stop taking pictures and ended up filling my 8 gigabyte card (yikes!).
On the other hand, how could you not have spring feelings when you find lilacs in the flower shop (yes, lilacs!!)? I’m not sure what the other flowers are, but they definitely make me think of spring. Delicate and beautiful.


I’ve been wanting to make this carrot cake again for quite some time. The recipe is from my first book (which I just proofread in English by the way, yaay!) so I knew it would be delicious. It’s super moist, stuffed with nuts and lots and lots of grated carrot, it has just the right amount of cinnamon and it’s filled with cream cheese frosting, which is always equally awesome. It doesn’t end there though, on top of all that, there’s a whole lotta coconut chips. Yeah. That’s what makes it deluxe!







Carrot cake deluxe  
serves 8-10
Recipe from my book, Lomelinos tårtor (Lomelino’s cakes)

Carrot cake
150 g butter
3 large eggs
150 g (1/2 cup & 1 heaping tablespoon) granulated sugar
120 g (1/2 cup & 1 heaping tablespoon) brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract
180 g (1 1/4 cups) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
250 g (about 1 3/4 cups) carrots, finely grated
100 g walnuts (or pecans), chopped
150 ml (1/2 cup & 1 heaping tablespoon) apple sauce

Cream cheese frosting
100 g softened butter 
300 g cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Decoration
Coconut chips or grated coconut

Carrot cake
1. Heat oven to 350F (175°C).
2. Butter and flour two 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans.
3. Melt butter and leave to cool.
4. Beat eggs and sugars until fluffy and lighter in color. Add butter and vanilla and beat until combined.
5. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl, then sift into the batter. Stir until just smooth.
6. Add grated carrot, nuts and apple sauce and stir until combined. Divide batter between the two cake pans.
7. Bake for about 40-45 minuter, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.,

Cream cheese frosting
1. Beat butter until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until just smooth. 
2. Put the bowl in the fridge while you cut the cake.

Assembly
1. Cut both cake layers in half with a serrated knife so you end up with four cake layers.
2. Put the first cake layer on a cake board or directly onto a plate or cake stand. Spread a (don’t make it too thick as the cake might will be a bit wobbly at first) 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 (crumb coating), and put in the fridge for 15 minutes (this is optional, mostly to secure any loose crumbs). Spread the rest of the frosting on the cake. Press (more like throw!) coconut chips over the top and the side of the cake. Keep the vacuum nearby!

Soft gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries

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

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

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









Soft gingerbread cake 
with cream cheese frosting and sugared cranberries

Printable recipe

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

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

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

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

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


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





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

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

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

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

A few notes

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

 

 

 

 
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