I cannot explain how many people can running to jam their forks into this cake.
There were a lot.



For a crazy simple, fail-proof white cake that melds the taste of coconut, almonds, and awesome, this Italian Cream Cake is sure to woo even the staunchest chocolate cake advocates.
If the dozen people clamoring for more of this cake can't convince you, try it for yourself and bring it to your next potluck or gathering. You won't be disappointed--and your friends will love you for it!
For more photos and the recipe, make the jump to my blog. Hope to see you there!

These almond tarts hardly take over half an hour to make because they are crustless. I suddenly found that this way I like them way more that the classic version in short pastry shells. You can use more traditional apples, pears or cherries instead of melon. I never thought about using melon here before a month ago. Turned out that it does a great job here, everybody seems to love the dessert, but I'll better tell you the whole story.

Before I came to Istanbul I heard about sicak helva - a kind of custard made of crushed tahini halva mixed with cream and baked. The dessert is traditionally eaten after a fish main as it removes fish aftertaste completely. The idea really resonated with me, so the evening we did visit a fish restaurant I was more concerned about my dessert than about my fish main. I ended up loving it and cooking it at home. It turned out to be very practical in Moscow, as tahini halva is very common around here.

I remember saying something about baklava just recently. Forget. These sticky cinnamon buns are the most powerful piece of anti stress baking (and eating) I ever tried. They might well be the best piece of pastry I ever produced. You will smell the nuts bubbling in sticky maple syrup and all the sweet cinnamon richness, while watching how the spiral buns puff out of their cases, catching each others' sides and crisping up on top. Twenty minutes later that one of them looking right at you will be just yours. And so will be the maple nutty goo left over at the bottom of the baking dish (which is, as often happens in life, the best part of the exercise).

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It seems that I found something strong enough to heal a broken heart, which is almost magic. I only made baklava a couple of times and I'm not going to pretend I know everything about it. There are people who learn to make baklava throughout their lives and hopefully I'll once have good talk with one of them. But right now I can say for sure that you can make it very well from the very first attempt and enjoy both the making and the eating just extremely.


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Carrot halwa was the first Indian dessert I got to try. Since then I tried many more, but it remained my favorite (not sure whether it is a coincidence). It is something comforting, warm and sweet. Something rich and mild. Something I'd never expect from the carrot. Like in English carrot cake it works in some magical way here.

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This post has been due for at least two years now. When I just came to Fontainebleau I immediately fell in love with salade aux chèvre chaud (literally salad with hot goat's cheese) and it stayed my absolute favorite throughout the months of my residence. Though very simple to make it is incredibly rich in flavor and texture. Just imagine savory hot and melting goat's cheese with sweet fig jam, crispy toast and walnut over crunchy chilled salad leaves dressed with honey and French mustard.

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Last Monday was my mom's birthday. She went for a MacBook (yes, she does listen to me sometimes) but I still wanted to present something hand made. So on Sunday my little bro and I got together at the kitchen to make her favorite florentines. They are continuing the series on Christmas baking.

What's special about florentines are these almond flakes and candied fruit set in buttery caramel. Though the cookies originated from Italy they are mow baked in France and other European countries. Thus there are now many different ways of making them. This variation is not the most conventional, but certainly the most loved in our house. First it has a short base on which the caramelized nuts rest. Second, it doesn't use chocolate. Somehow I always preferred to avoid chocolate in florentines, though most of the recipes do call for it. It is just too strong and doesn't let me feel their fine flavor in full. However if you do like this combination, just follow the recipe and then dip each of the ready florentines into melted dark or white chocolate for half of their width. Let them set and enjoy.

Florentine cookies

makes 40 cookies

For the pastry:
75 g cold butter
50 g sugar
200 g all purpose flour
zest of 1/2 lemon
tiny pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tbs cold water

For the topping:
75 g butter
75 g sugar
1 tbs honey
3 tbs heavy cream
tiny pinch of salt
zest of one lemon
120 g candied fruit (pineapple is my favorite, but to be closer to classics you could use candied lemon or orange peel) chopped into 5 mm pieces
100 g almond flakes

For the pastry combine the cold butter, flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor. The mixture should resemble bread crumbs. Add the egg and water and quickly mix again. Take the mixture out and shape it into a ball using your hands. Do not overwork the pastry, otherwise it will come out too firm when baked. Put the pastry in a plastic bag and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes (this will make it easy to work with later). Roll the pastry on a baking paper into a rectangle 5 mm thick. Bake it for 5 minutes, take out of the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, make the topping. In a medim size heavy base pan combine the butter, sugar, honey, cream, salt and lemon zest. Place on low heat and cook stirring gently till everything melts together. Increase the heat to medium and bring to the boil. Cook for 5-7 minutes till the caramel thickens (the texture should be like this). Take off the heat, quickly add the candied fruits and almond flakes and stir to get them coated in caramel. Transfer the mixture on the prebaked pastry. Using a slightly oiled knife or palette spread it into even layer and press down slightly.

Bake at 180C for 10 minutes. Take out of the oven, transfer (together with the baking paper on a cooling rack and let cool for 3 minutes. Cut into squares of 3-4 cm. Let cool completely. Store airtight at room temperature. To store longer that a week, freeze them in a plastic bag. Take out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving.

More pictures

Related:

Lemon and caraway biscuits
Cinnamon roll cookies

 

It looks like there is a pattern in my vegan baking. Things work out exactly from the second attempt. That was the case with banana upside down cake as well as oatmeal cookies. Now the pumpkin muffins did the same and I can’t tell you how happy I am at breakfast time. 

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