No bake Blueberry-Yogurt Cake + DIY Chocolate Leaves Decoration

August 13, 2012August 16, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 45 Comments

I love using seasonal, local fruit and veggies for baking/cooking. You must admit there is no better fruit than the kind that has been allowed to ripen properly in the sun, as God intended. Since blueberries are one of my favorite fruits, I just try to use them as much as I can while they are in season in my neck of the woods. This refreshing blueberry-yogurt cake is my own creation – no baking necessary, pretty simple to make and very tasty!

No bake Blueberry-Yogurt Cake Printable recipe

Crust:

1/3 of a Honey Graham crackers pack (crushed) – about 5 oz or (136 g)
1.8 oz (50 g) blanched ground almonds
1.8 oz (50 g) butter (softened)
1/ 2 cup (100 g) sugar
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

Filling:

15.8 oz (450 g) blueberries (washed and blended)
15.8 oz (450 g) plain yogurt
Zest of one small lemon
½ cup (100 g) of sugar
About 2 cups (450 ml) heavy cream (whipped)
¼ cup (50 g) of sugar
2 envelopes (14 g) plain gelatin
4 Tablespoons of water

Decoration:

Handful of blueberries
25-30 small rose leaves (untreated)
1.8 oz (50 g) white chocolate
1.8 oz (50 g) semi-sweet chocolate
2 teaspoons cooking oil

For the crust crush the graham crackers, add almonds, sugar, sifted cocoa and butter at the end. Mix well and press the mixture into the bottom of a 8.5 inch (about 22 cm) spring cake form.

For the filling wash the blueberries, blend them and set aside. Whip the cream with sugar, cover and leave in the fridge until needed. Mix the plain yogurt with sugar and lemon zest in one bowl and add the blended blueberries to it. In a sauce pan mix the plain gelatin with water and leave it resting for about 5 minutes. Heat it at a low temperature until gelatin melts, but do not let it boil. Pour about 1 cup of blueberry-yogurt mixture into gelatin. Mix it well and then pour everything back into the remaining blueberry mixture. Gently fold in the whipped cream and once again mix until well blended. Pour the mixture onto the crust, cover with plastic and leave it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the decoration wash your rose leaves and pat them dry. Melt both chocolates in separate dishes and add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil to each, mix well. Take a small brush and brush the bottom side of each leaf and place them on a flat surface (such as a tray) that can fit in your freezer. When done, place the leaves in the freezer for a few minutes. Take them out and brush them with chocolate once again. This time leave them in the freezer until ready to decorate.

Remove the cake from the spring form. Take the leaves out of the freezer and quickly start removing rose leaves so that you only get chocolate leaves. Arrange the chocolate leaves on the top of the cake (let your imagination guide you). Put some fresh blueberries around the leaves.

This cake is very refreshing and light for the hot summer days, when you don’t feel like baking and still want to have a nice dessert!

Black Forest Cake or Die Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

June 18, 2012June 20, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 16 Comments

A couple of years ago when I visited my homeland Bosnia I brought back a French/International cookbook, which my dad gave to my mom for their first marriage anniversary. So many things were taken out of our home during the war, and I was pleasantly surprised that our book collections were still there! The only thing missing from this book was its shiny photo cover which I remember so well. The cookbook it self has 750 pages full of the most spectacular recipes of French and International cuisine. The cookbook is by Henri-Paul Pellaprat “L’Art culinaire moderne” 1969 edition, and in Croatian translation it is just simply called “The Great Pellaprat”. I remember as a child going through its pages, looking at all the photos and wondering how would all these amazing meals taste and how is it even possible to make such works of art.

Today was Father’s Day and a perfect day to try and bake something from this amazing cookbook. Out of the hundreds of dessert recipes I chose a familiar one – Black Forest Cake. Familiar, because after we left Bosnia, we lived in Germany’s Black Forest region, our children were born there and it was just an amazing time of learning to live away from home, accepting the life changes and building a better future for our children and us.

Black Forest Cake Printable recipe

Serves 12-16 people

Cake:

1 cup (200 g) sugar
8 egg yolks (medium eggs)
1 whole egg
1 Tablespoon water
3.5 oz (100 g) plain bread crumbs
2.1 oz (60 g) blanched, ground almonds
1.7 oz (50 g) dark cocoa
8 egg whites (whipped)

Filling:

14.5 oz (400 g) canned sour cherries
1 Tablespoon corn starch
About 1 quart (900 ml) heavy cream (whipped) *** Original recipe calls for 600 ml, but that was not nearly enough to frost the cake inside and out and decorate it.
Sugar + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3.3 Tablespoons (50 ml) cherry brandy (Original German Kirsch Wasser) *** I substituted Kirsch Wasser with 1 small jar of “Tipsy Cherries
5.2 oz (150 g) semi-sweet chocolate (refrigerated)

Also needed: 25 cm (10 inch) round spring form cake pan + same size parchment paper

Cake preparation:

Heat the oven to 370 F (187 C)
For the cake beat egg yolks, 1 whole egg, sugar and water until foamy.
Add bread crumbs and ground almonds.
Now by hand gently fold in egg whites. Add sifted cocoa at the end.
Pour the batter into the spring form pan and bake for about 25 – 30 minutes.
Cool completely and slice horizontally into 3 equal layers.

Filling preparation:

Heat the sour cherries with juice in a small cooking pot and bring it to boil. Mix 1 tablespoon corn starch with some of the cherry juice and pour into the pot. Let it boil for a few minutes until it thickens. Cool completely.
Whip the heavy cream until firm. Add sugar (after your own taste) and vanilla extract.
Take the bottom cake layer, sprinkle it with some “Tipsy cherries” brandy (or Kirsch Wasser), spread the cherries on the top of it. Spread 1/3 of the whipped cream on it.
Place the second cake layer on the cream, sprinkle with cherry brandy and spread with the second part of the whipped cream.
Sprinkle the third cake layer with some cherry brandy and place it on the top.
Frost the whole cake all around, decorate the top with tipsy cherries and chopped chocolate pieces.

Place the cake in the fridge over night and serve the next day.

Bon Appétit!

No Bake Raspberry (Graduation) Cheese Cake

June 10, 2012June 11, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 16 Comments

What a joyous day! Our son graduated from high school today. One chapter of his life is ending and a new one is just beginning, as he is starting college this fall. What can a proud mother say?! I am happy, overjoyed and nostalgic today – all at the same time. Just not so long ago when we first stepped onto the the U.S. ground he was just a four year old boy. Today he is a young man who has reached one important goal and is moving onto many others.

Of course we had to celebrate with a cake. This was his wish – Raspberry Cheese Cake! I LOVE YOU SON and I am proud of you! I thank God for giving me you!

NO BAKE RASPBERRY CHEESE CAKE Printable recipe

For the crust:

250 (8.8 oz) hazelnut cookies***
90 g (3.2 oz) butter (melted)

For the filling:

300 ml ( 1 ¼ cup) heavy cream (whipped)
60 ml (1/4 cup) water
2 envelopes (2 tbsp) plain ground gelatin
500 g (17.6 oz) cream cheese (quark is also good)
80 ml (1/3 cup) lemon juice
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
250 g (8.8 oz) fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar

22 cm (9 inch) round spring cake pan

Optional: About 10-12 fresh raspberries + 1 cup whipped cream for decoration

*** For the crust I’ve used combination of vanilla wafers and hazelnut wafer sticks.

Line the cake pan with parchment paper and brush with a little oil.
For the crust grind the cookies in a food processor, add melted butter and mix well.
Press the mixture onto the bottom and the walls of the spring form; place it into the freezer.
For the filling first whip heavy cream until dense, add few spoons of sugar if desired.
Place the water and gelatin into a small sauce pan, mix well and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Mix the cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar until smooth.
Puree the raspberries with sugar.
Gently combine the whipped cream and cream cheese mixture.
Melt the gelatin on a very low temperature. Pour the ¾ of the gelatin into the cheese-whipped cream mixture and mix until well combined. Pour the filling onto the crust.
The other ¼ of the melted gelatin pour into raspberry puree. Pour the puree onto the cheese filling and swirl around few times until just combined.
Cover the cake with plastic and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours. If desired, decorate with some whipped cream, fresh raspberries, leftover cookies, etc.

Bon Appétit!

Hungarian cake or a Birthday cake for him

May 22, 2012January 15, 2013 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 34 Comments

A few weeks ago my husband had a birthday. When I asked him what kind of dessert he wanted, he said either Julishka pie or the Hungarian cake. I decided to make Hungarian cake since we already had Julishka this year. Now, what is known as Hungarian cake in the US, in Bosnia it is known as Hungarian Woman cake, with a difference that we use only one word for it – Mađarica (Mah-dia-ree-tsah). It comes from the word Mađarska, which is the Bosnian word for Hungary. Mađarica is a sweet, rich, caramely, chocolatey goodness that becomes tastier as it “ages” (!Aging meaning days, not months or years!) 🙂

If the Hungarian ladies are anything like this cake, then Hungarian men should be very happy! 😉 If you make this cake today don’t serve it right away. It is best when served the next day or even a few days later. When kept in the fridge this cake will still be good even after a week.

Hungarian Cake (Mađarica) Printable recipe

Cake layers:

300 g flour (2 1/3 cups)
½ teaspoon baking powder
100 g butter (3.6 oz)
1 egg
100 g sugar (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons sour cream

Frosting:

200 g sugar (1 cup)
500 ml milk (2 cups)
60 g flour (1/2 cup)
150 g butter (5.4 oz) at room temperature
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa (sifted)

For the chocolate glaze:

100 g (3.6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil

Preparation:

Cake layers

For the cake layers combine flour, baking powder, sugar and mix well. Add thinly sliced butter and start mixing until large crumbs start forming. Add egg and sour cream and knead into a smooth dough ball. Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces.

On a lightly floured surface roll out each piece of dough into a 9 X 9 inches (23 X 23 cm) square. Lay it on a parchment covered cookie sheet and cut off any excess dough. Bake each layer for just about 5 minutes at 365 F (185 C). Don’t let it brown. Remove each from the oven and let it cool completely.

Filling

For the filling place the sugar into a thick bottom pan. Let it melt at a low temperature. When all melted, pour the milk over the melted sugar. Be careful as this will make quite a reaction and sugar will start to bubble and will instantly harden. With a wooden spoon break up hardened sugar into smaller pieces. As the milk simmers, occasionaly stir it. All the hardened sugar will melt.

While milk is simmering, mix the ½ cup flour with a bit of milk and make a smooth mixture. ( In Europe there is a special kind of flour for making a filling base, but in US there is not, so you may get few crumbs in the filling – don’t worry about it)

When all the hardened sugar has melted and you just have a great smelling caramelly milk, pour the flour mixture in it, mixing constantly until it thickens. Let it cool completely.

Beat the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy, add the sifted cocoa and beat until all combined. Add the butter to the caramel mixture. Filling is now done. I have divided my filling into two equal portions. One I left as it is and into the other one I added 1.8 oz (50 g) melted dark chocolate and 1 tablespoon of rum.

Putting the cake together and chocolate glaze

Divide the filling into 4 equal portions. Lay one cake layer onto a serving plate, spread the 1st portion of the filling on it. Repeat until the last cake layer, which comes on the top.

For the glaze melt the chocolate over a hot water disch, add oil and mix until smooth. Let it cool for about a minute or two and pour over cake. Shake it a little so it evenly spreads over the top. Leave the cake in the fridge for at least 24 hours or even better 36.

Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving, cut into small bars 1 X 2 inches (2.5 X 5 CM) and enjoy!

See below what happens when you add milk to the melted sugar…

Chocolate Mousse-Blackberry Birthday Cake

April 18, 2012April 22, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 38 Comments

My youngest child, my baby daughter has turned 15. I still remember the day she came into this world and into my life. I felt immeasurably happy and blessed to hold my little bundle of joy in my arms. I miss those days when she was so dependent on me and when I could spend every minute taking care of her, cuddling her and kissing her chubby cheeks. I miss dressing her for school, brushing her hair, playing with her, coloring together. I even miss buying toys! 🙂 I got a bit misty eyed remembering the good old days, but I am delighted to see her growing up to be a beautiful, smart, artistic and caring young lady. Can a mother ever say enough of great things about her child? 🙂

As she has a beautifully distinguished character, so her wish for a birthday cake was a bit unusual as well: A Blackberry Cake. Birthday blackberry cake was certainly a challenge, but it turned out super delicious!

Chocolate Mousse-Blackberry Birthday Cake Printable recipe

Cake:

3 eggs
3 tbsp water
½ cup (100 g) sugar
1 pack vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
2.6 oz (75 g) flour
1.7 oz (50 g) corn starch
1 tsp baking powder

Chocolate mousse:

2 cups (500 ml) chilled heavy cream
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4.4 oz (125 g) semi-sweet chocolate
2.6 oz (75 g) milk chocolate

Frosting and decoration:

1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
4 tbsp sugar
1 pack vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5.2 oz (150 g) semi-sweet chocolate
24 oz (700 g) blackberries
1-2 tbsp powder sugar
Blackberry leaves for decoration

Cake preparation:

Divide eggs. Beat egg whites with 3 tbsp water until foamy. Slowly add sugar and vanilla, mix for couple of minutes, then add one by one egg yolk. Combine flour, corn starch and baking powder. Gently fold into egg mixture. Pour the batter into a 9 inch (23 cm) spring form cake pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 365 F (185 C) 20 – 30 minutes. Cool completely and then slice through into two equal pieces.

Chocolate mousse preparation:

Heat 3/4 cup (125 ml) cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until hot. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 160°F (71 C)on thermometer. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla.

Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water stirring frequently. Whisk custard into chocolate until smooth, then cool. Beat remaining 1 1/4 (375 ml)cups cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk one fourth of cream into chocolate custard to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly.

Place the bottom cake part back into the spring form. Pour the chocolate mousse onto the cake. Cover and leave it in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Do not put top cake piece over the mousse as it is still very soft. Cover with plastic wrap and save it until ready to ensemble the cake.

Prepare frosting and decoration:

Whip heavy cream until firm, add sugar and vanilla. Cover and leave in the fridge until ready to ansamble the cake. Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Spread the melted chocolate in two thin ribbons on piece of parchment paper, place it in the freezer. Make sure each ribbon is at least 3 inches (7-8 cm) high.

Wash blackberries and place them on a kitchen towel to dry.

Ensamble the cake:

Remove the spring form with mousse from the fridge. If the mousse is firm enough, place the second sponge cake on the top.
Remove the cake from the spring form and place it onto a serving plate. Frost the cake all around with whipped cream.
Remove the chocolate ribbons from the freezer. Break them up into 1 – 2 inch pieces. Make sure pieces are little higher than the cake. Place the pieces around the cake to form a „fence“.
Place the blackberries on the top of the cake. If desired, dust with powder sugar and decorate with blackberry leaves.

Enjoy! 🙂

Easter Cassata and how pressure can be a good thing

April 13, 2012April 13, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 12 Comments

A person like me gets involved in a craft project and easily forgets about everything else (such as Easter grocery shopping and dinner preparation) I tell you, this year I did everything in such a rush just because I spent too much time coloring eggs.

I was in a total time crunch, but that kind of pressure is good sometimes! It puts me into a creative state of mind and usually things turn out better than when I plan for a long time.

This Easter for desert I made Cassata. Since I spent too much time on egg coloring, I didn’t have enough time to bake a sponge cake for cassata. The pressure I was telling you about made me think of another easier way to make it – with lady fingers. Here it is:

Cassata Printable recipe

Ingredients:

2 packs of lady fingers
26 oz (750 g) ricotta cheese
4 tbsp maraschino syrup (or maraschino liquor)
1 small lemon (juice and zest)
2 envelopes (14 g) of plain gelatin
6 tbsp water
1.6 cups (400 ml) heavy cream – whipped *Reserve 1/4 of it for decoration
½ cup (100 g) sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract (or 1 pack vanilla sugar)
5 oz (150 g) candied fruit
3.5 oz (100 g) chocolate *3/4 finely chopped for filling, 1/4 for decoration
Maraschino cherries

Also needed:

Two 5 X 10 inches (about 13 X 25 cm) loaf pans
Plastic wrap

Prepare Cassata:

You may use a half measure of above ingredients just to make one loaf pan cassata.

Line each pan with plastic wrap, cover the bottom with lady fingers (about 7 lady fingers fit on the bottom). Line the sides of the pan with lady fingers too. You will probably need to cut them so they don’t reach above the edge of the pan. You may choose to moisten lady fingers before lining the pan, but if you leave cassata in the fridge over night, lady fingers will pick up some moisture from the filling and they will be soft.
Combine ricotta cheese, maraschino syrup, lemon juice and zest. Mix well and set aside. (You may add some sugar if you think it wouldn’t be sweet enough for you).
Mix 6 tbsp of water with 2 envelopes of gelatin in a small cooking pot, let it rest for 10 minutes.
Whip the heavy cream until dense, add sugar and vanila.
Now place the pot with gelatin on the stove and let it melt at a low temperature, mixing the whole time. Don’t let it boil. Take about 1 cup of ricotta cheese mixture and add it to the melted gelatin. Mix well and then pour it back to the remaining ricotta cheese mixture. Mix again.
Now add to it bit by bit whipped cream alternating with chopped chocolate and candied fruit. Mix slowly by hand until everything is nicely blended.
Pour the filling into prepared pans lined with lady fingers. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for at least 3 hours or over night.
When ready to serve, invert the pan slowly onto a serving plate, decorate with melted chocolate, remaining whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

BON APPETIT!

Birth of a Dream Cake

April 2, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 40 Comments

I truly admire people who are able to come up with their own original recipes. I love and enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, be it baking or cooking. I’ve adjusted known recipes to fit my taste and I can even say I improved some (at least I think so :)), but I’ve never created my very own recipe.

Last week, after a quite long pause, I started going to pastel painting class again. I forgot how this class does wonders to my emotional wellness, inspiration, and just overall feeling of joy! As I was doodling on a note pad thinking of what could be my next painting project, I found myself sketching a cake… Weird how my mind switched from thinking of painting to thinking of a cake and my hand followed accordingly.

In the back of my mind I had plans to make a cake this weekend – a cake for my birthday. I could have let my family buy me a cake, but as every other year I am ~~totally~~ almost expected to make a cake for each family member’s birthday. Honestly, I like it that way! Still sketching, an idea of my very own cake came to mind… Raspberries came to mind, vanilla, white chocolate, mmm… why not?! Here it is! From the birth of an idea to the final product – Raspberry Dream Cake!

Raspberry Dream Cake Printable recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

6 eggs
4 tbsp hot water
3/4 cups (150 g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp bitter almond extract
5 oz (150 g) sour cream* ( I added sour cream to the batter for additional moisture and to avoid cake being dry)
1 1/4 cup (150 g) flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
5 oz (150) g ground hazelnuts

Frosting # 1 – Semolina, butter, white chocolate frosting:

1 cup (250 ml) milk
1 cup (250 ml) cream
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 oz (100 g) semolina
1 stick (100 g) butter
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
3.5 (100 g) white chocolate

Frosting # 2 – Raspberry Gelée:

14 oz (400 g) frozen raspberries
6 oz (170 g) fresh raspberries
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1/2 cup (100 ml) water
2 envelopes (14 g) plain gelatin
6 tbsp water

Decoration:

7 oz (200 g) white chocolate
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup (300 ml) heavy cream (whipped)
Sugar
Fresh raspberries
Lemon Balm leaves

Also needed: 7 inch (18 cm) spring form cake pan, parchment paper, plastic wrap, a long sharp knife, cake decorating bag with a star tip

Cake preparation:

In a mixer bowl beat 6 eggs with 4 tbsp hot water until foamy, add vanilla and bitter almond extract. Slowly start adding sugar and mix at least for 2 minutes, before adding sour cream. Combine flour, baking powder and ground hazelnuts. Turn the mixing speed to low and add the dry ingredients.
Bake in a 7 inch (18 cm) spring form cake pan lined with parchment paper at 365 F (185 C) for about 30 minutes. Cool completely, remove from the spring form and slice across into three even pieces.

Prepare frosting #1:

Combine cream, milk, vanilla and sugar and let it boil. Pour into it semolina flour, lower the heat and mix until all liquid disappears and the mixture has a pudding consistency. Cool slightly and cover with plastic wrap to avoid crust forming. The mixture will harden somewhat as it cools.
Combine butter and sugar, mix until fluffy, add melted white chocolate and mix well. Add it to the semolina mixture and again mix well or until thoroughly combined. Cover and set aside.

Prepare frosting #2:

Line a 7 inch spring form cake pan with plastic wrap.
Combine frozen, fresh raspberries and water. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add sugar.
In a small cooking pan disolve gelatin in 6 tbsp of water, mix and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Lightly heat gelatin and let it melt, but do not let it boil. Take few table spoons out of raspberry mixture and mix it well with gelatin.
Now add the gelatin into remaining raspberries and mix well. Pour it into spring form and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Remove from the fridge, remove the pan rim. Slowly divide into two pieces by cutting through with a long, sharp knife.

Put together and decorate the cake:

1^st of 3 cake layers
½ half of semolina frosting
1^st piece of raspberry gelée
2^nd of 3 cake layers
2^nd half of semolina frosting
2^nd half of raspberry gelée
3^rd of 3 cake layers
Melt the white chocolate with vegetable oil until liquid. Pour and spread over top of the cake and sides. Put it into fridge for about 15 minutes.
Beat the cream with desired amount of sugar until dense. Decorate the sides and top of the cake with whipped cream, fresh raspberries and lemon balm.

Bon Appétit!

Raspberry Gelée

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

March 18, 2012March 19, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 30 Comments

I woke up today to a rainy morning and clouds, but a few hours later all that turned to a beautiful, sunny day. Seeing the sun and first spring flowers blooming out there I was so inspired to bake something light and springy. This Strawberry Yogurt Cake came right to my mind. These kind of yogurt and cream based cakes are often made in Germany. If any cake can be called light, then this is it (despite the cream 🙂 ). There is no butter and I excluded egg yolks! There is plenty of yogurt which makes it very refreshing and then strawberries to make the whole experience complete. It’s almost as if a smoothie was transformed into a cake. I LOVE IT, I hope you will too!

Strawberry Yogurt Cake Printable recipe

For the cake:

3 egg whites (large eggs)
A smidgen of salt
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp flour
¼ tsp baking powder

Spring form cake pan 9 in (23 cm) in diameter; Parchment paper round (same diameter as the pan)

For the filling:

1 ¼ cup (300 ml) heavy cream
¼ cup (50 g)sugar
1 vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
2 cups (500 ml) plain yogurt (2%)
½ cup (100 g) sugar
½ tsp lemon zest
1 lb (450 g) fresh strawberries + 4-5 for decoration
2 envelopes of plain gelatin
4 tbsp water

Cake preparation:

Add smidgen of salt into egg whites and beat them until fluffy, add sugar and beat few minutes more. Combine flour and baking powder, fold into egg white mixture by hand.
Preheat oven to 365 F (185 C). Line the spring form with parchment paper and pour the cake batter in. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool completely. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake and return the cake to the form.

Cake filling:

For the filling whip the cream until dense, add sugar and whip for one more minute. Cover and refrigerate.
In another bowl add yogurt, lemon zest and sugar and mix by hand until smooth. Set aside.
Put 4 tbsp cold water in a small cooking pot, empty contents of 2 gelatin envelops into it, mix it so there is no crumbs. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
Wash strawberries, remove stems, put into blender and blend until liquid. Add strawberries into yogurt mixture.
Place the cooking pot with gelatin on the stove and lightly heat it, only until dissolved, do not let it boil! Add to it about ½ cup yogurt mixture and mix well. Now pour the gelatin mixture into remaining yogurt mixture, add whipped cream and again mix by hand until it all blends and looks like a strawberry smoothie.
Pour the filling into the spring form and on the top of the cake. Filling will be liquid and that is ok.
Refrigerate for 3 hours minimum or best over night. After that filling will become dense (like jello).
Remove spring form ring, decorate the cake with whipped cream and strawberries.

BON APPETIT!

“Here is the deepest secret nobody knows…”

February 13, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 14 Comments

For Valentines to all of You:

My all time favorite love poem and some heart shaped mini chocolate cakes!

i carry your heart with me by E. E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

Valentine’s Heart Mini Cakes

~ Orange flavored cakes dipped in chocolate ~

Printable recipe

For the cake:

8.8 oz (250 g) softened butter
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 pack Vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
6 eggs
4 tbsp sour cream
1 organic orange (zest and juice)
3 ¼ cup (400 g) flour
3 tsp baking powder

For the chocolate dip:

7 oz (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate
5.5 tbsp (80 g) butter
¼ cup (50 ml) milk

For the white chocolate dip:

7 oz (200 g) white chocolate
5.5 tbsp (80 g) butter
¼ cup (50 ml) milk

Various kinds of Valentines sprinkles

Also needed:

12 x 17 in (32 x 44 cm) baking sheet
Cooling wire rack

For the cake, mix softened butter and sugar until foamy, add eggs one by one, mixing about 1 minute after each addition.
Add sour cream, orange zest and juice, mix for another minute or two.
Combine flour and baking powder. Fold into butter mixture by hand.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper, pour the batter and evenly spread in the pan.
Bake at 375 F (190 C ) until light gold color. Cool completely.
Use a large heart shaped cookie cutter (about 2.5 – 3 in ) and cut out individual cakes. I had about 28 of them.
For the dip, break the chocolate into small pieces, put it into a stainless steel bowl, add butter. Place the bowl over a dish with boiling water, let it all melt, mix until smooth, at the end add milk.
Dip each heart cake into the melted chocolate, put sprinkles on and place on the wire rack to cool down. Keep in the fridge and remove at least 30 minutes before serving.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Marjolaine Cake

January 12, 2012January 19, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 30 Comments

The first time I tried Marjolaine cake was at our local Italian bakery. A French cake in an Italian bakery! There is no way that you could find that in Italy! 😉 Anyway, the last few years the bakery has not been making it anymore and few days ago I think I found a reason why!

Since this is my son’s favorite cake and I was not able to buy it anywhere, I decided to surprise him and make it for his birthday. I googled the recipe and found about 5 different versions. I chose the one that in my opinion was best “resembling” the original from our favorite bakery.

Should I say that it took me 5 hours to make this cake?! 🙂 No wonder the bakery is not taking that kind of time! The cake turned out perfect and it tasted s-u-p-e-r-b! My son was very happy! His first slice was as thick as 3 regular slices! 🙂 Marjolaine cake is now on my Special Occasion Cakes list! A lot of work was put into it, A LOT, but in the end it was well worth it!

Here we go: Printable version

The praline powder:

1 cup (100 g) whole almonds
1 cup (128 g) confectioners’ sugar

The chocolate cream (chocolate ganache):

2 cups (500 ml) creme fraiche (I have used heavy whipping cream)
16 (450 g) ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Lindt or other European brand, broken into pieces

The pastry cream:

8 large egg yolks
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (64 g) unbleached flour
2 cups (500 ml) milk
1 1/4 cups (283 g) unsalted butter

The cake:

1 cup (138 g) hazelnuts
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
10 large egg whites
1/4 cup (32 g) unbleached flour

The rum cream:

2 cups pastry cream (1/2 of the whole quantity)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum

The praline cream:

2 cups pastry cream (1/2 of the whole quantity)
2 cups praline powder (I didn’t weigh in grams, but use all of what you get after grinding the sugar coated almonds)

*Optional: 1 cup (138 g) toasted, chopped hazelnuts for decorating the sides of the cake

Prepare the praline powder:

1.: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Oil a baking sheet with a light vegetable oil. Spread the almonds on another baking sheet and bake until fragrant and light brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2.: Combine the nuts and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt. The mixture will go through several stages,from a dry blend to one where the sugar forms little bubbles the size of peas. Continue cooking, stirring constantly so all of the sugar clinging to the almonds melts, until the mixture turns dark brown and syrupy and the nuts make a popping sound. The whole process will take about five minutes.
3.: Quickly pour the mixture onto the oiled baking sheet. The mixture will harden to give almond brittle. When the praline is cool, break it into pieces. Grind it to a fine powder in a food processor. (Praline can be made weeks in advance and refrigerated or frozen in an air-tight container.)
4.: Prepare the chocolate cream: Bring the cream to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate, piece by piece, until it is completely melted and blended. Set aside until cool and thick. It should have the consistency of a thick, spreadable, frosting. (This can be made as much as three days in advance and refrigerated. If it hardens, reheat it gently, beating until it reaches the proper consistency.)

Prepare the pastry cream:

5.: Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until thick and lemon-colored. Gently whisk in the flour. Heat the milk to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk one-third of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture into the remaining milk. Boil, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until thickened, about two minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
6.: Beat the butter until soft and creamy. When the pastry cream is completely cool, whisk in the softened butter. (The pastry cream can be made three days in advance and kept refrigerated.)

Prepare the cake:

7.: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heavily butter two jelly-roll pans, measuring about 14x10x1 in. Line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the paper.
8.: Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast until fragrant and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the warm nuts in a cotton dish towel to remove as much skin as possible. Cool, then grind them with a quarter cup of the sugar in a food processor.
9.: Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to stiffen. Slowly add the remaining sugar, mixing until stiff but not dry. Fold in the flour and hazelnut mixture. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are thoroughly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
10.: Remove the cakes from the oven and invert them onto racks to cool, paper side up. Cover the cakes with a damp towel for several minutes, then remove the parchment paper while the cakes are still warm. Let cool completely. Cut each cake lengthwise in half.
11.: At least 24 hours, but not more than three days, before serving, assemble the Marjolaine: Divide the pastry cream in half. Blend the vanilla extract and the rum into one portion of the pastry cream. Blend the praline powder into the remaining pastry cream. (Mix the praline cream just before assembling the cake, because the flavor will fade if mixed up in advance.) The chocolate and pastry creams should be chilled, but spreadable.
12.: Place one cake layer on a large, rectangular serving platter. Spread half the chocolate cream on the cake. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. Cover the chocolate cream with a second cake layer. Spread with all of the rum cream and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Top the rum cream with the third cake layer. Spread with all of the praline cream and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Top the praline cream with the fourth cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining chocolate cream. Refrigerate uncovered for 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate one to three days before serving.
13.: To serve, remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cutting, then cut into thin slices.; **Original recipe found here (I slightly changed the quantity of some ingredients).

Bon Appetite! 🙂

Praline Powder preparation steps

Prepared pastry cream and chocolate ganache

Julishka Pie (Juliška Pita)

November 25, 2011January 19, 2012 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 12 Comments

Julishka (read Yuleeshkah) is a very rich desert, loved and made for at least 60 years in Bosnia and practically all regions of Ex-Yugoslavia. It’s a classic, it never fails to surprise one’s taste buds, it is delectable! I usually make it for the holidays and my husband’s birthday since it’s his favorite desert. Julishka is entirely made from scratch and the process requires some time, but the end result is just pure joy!

Ingredients: Printable version

1 pack of Puff Pastry Sheets (thawed)
1 cup (200 g sugar)
1 pack vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 eggs (divided)
6 oz (175 g) good chocolate* 50-60% cocoa
1 3/4 (100 g) finely ground walnuts
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk
5 tbsp flour
10 1/2 tbsp (150 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
2 packs vanilla sugar (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)
1 tbsp confectioners sugar (for dusting)

Also needed: 9X13 in baking pan

1. Roll out both sheets of puff pastry on a lightly flour dusted surface to the size of the 9X13 in baking pan (or just a bit larger). Bake the 1st sheet on the pan turned up-side down for 10 minutes at 365 F or until nice golden color. Let it cool down for few minutes and carefully cut it into rectangles (to get about 25 pieces, make 4 cuts vertically and 4 horizontally).

2. Bake the 2nd sheet for 5 minutes at 350 F. It just needs to be half done. Set aside.

3. For the dough divide eggs. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm, set aside. In a stand mixer mix 5 yolks, 1 cup of sugar and vanilla until pale yellow and smooth. Melt chocolate in a hot water bath, add to yolk mixture and mix by hand (collage photos 1 & 2). Fold in ground walnuts and egg whites at the end.

4. Place the half done puff pastry sheet into the baking pan and pour the dough on the top of it (see collage photo 3). Bake at 375 F about 20- 30 minutes or until firm to touch. Let it cool down completely.

5. For the frosting base whisk 5 tbsp flour and 1/4 milk until smooth. Lightly boil 1 cup of milk and with constant mixing add the flour mixture to it. Mix until it becomes thick, then take it off the stove and cool down.

6. Mix sugar, vanilla and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add it to the completely cooled down frosting base and again mix well to combine.

7. Spread the frosting onto the top of the pie (see collage photo 4), arrange all the puff pastry rectangles that you’ve previously cut (collage photo 5). Dust with confectioners sugar (collage photo 6), cover with aluminium foil and leave it in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.

Before serving, cut into the sizes of your prearranged rectangles and voila… Enjoy!

Chocolate Almond Cake

November 13, 2011November 21, 2011 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 10 Comments

The recipe for this fine cake I have had since 1990. It is really hard to believe that 21 years have passed by. So many things have happened in my life and made it totally different from what I would ever expect. To make a long story short – a college student from Bosnia ended up in Germany because of the war, got married, had children, immigrated to the United States to start a better life for her family, and is now sharing with you a recipe for this delicious Chocolate Almond Cake. 🙂

Ingredients:

2 1/5 stick (250 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup (250 g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 pack vanilla sugar)
6 eggs
2 cups (250 g) flour
2 tsp baking powder
9 oz (250 g) semi-sweet chocolate (shredded)
1 1/2 cups (150 g) blanched, ground almonds

Frosting:

3 tbsp apricot jam (strained)
5 oz (150 g) semi-sweet chocolate
2 tsp cooking oil

1. In a stand mixer, mix butter for about 30 seconds, add sugar little by little and vanilla, mix until smooth.

2. Add an egg one by one, mixing 30 sec. after every addition.

3. Combine flour and baking powder, mix well. Fold into egg-butter mixture by hand. Add shredded chocolate and almonds and mix well.

4. Line a 9 in (24 cm) round cake pan with parchment paper. Evenly spread the batter into the pan. Bake at 375 F (180 C) for about an hour or until soft center of the cake disappears.

For the frosting, heat apricot jam for about 45 sec. and strain it through a fine mesh, to become smooth and without any apricot pieces. Brush it over warm cake.

Let the cake cool down. Melt the chocolate in a hot water bath, add cooking oil and mix it until smooth and glossy. Pour over the cake. Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reserve some chocolate for the decoration.

For the leaf decoration, get some rose leaves (plastic leaves are fine too). Brush them with chocolate once, let them rest for a few minutes and then brush them a second time. Place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Gently peel of each rose leaf and you should have a beautiful chocolate leaf decorations.

Bon Appetite!

Grandma’s Plum Cake

October 9, 2011October 10, 2011 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 8 Comments

My favorite kind of plums are Damson plums. They are very common in Bosnia, where I grew up. Their smell and taste remind me of my childhood and my grandparents.

I was so happy to find them on my Saturday’s visit to our local Farmer’s Market. I decided to make this cake by my grandma’s recipe. Her plum cake is delicious, rich and aromatic, and the whole house was enveloped in its heavenly smell.

Ingredients:

2.2 lbs (1 kg) Damson plums (washed, pitted and quartered)
1 pack of vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

5 eggs (divided)
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 pack of vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter (melted)
1 small lemon (zest and juice)
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup (75 g) walnuts (coarsely chopped)

1 tbsp confectioners sugar (for sprinkling the cake)

Also needed:

Parchment paper
9 X 13 inch (23 X 33 cm) rectangular baking pan

1. Wash the plums, dry them, remove pits and quarter them. Mix sugar, vanilla sugar (or extract), cinnamon and sprinkle over plums. Mix well and set aside.

2. For the batter beat egg whites with just a pinch of salt, until shiny and firm. Set aside.

3. Mix egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar at a fast rate and until pale yellow, add melted butter and continue mixing for another minute.

4. Fold in (by hand) lemon juice and zest. Also gently fold in flour and at the end egg whites just until combined (Batter needs to look fluffy).

5. Now add the plums into batter and mix them in well (by hand).

6. Pour the batter into 9 X 13 in rectangular baking pan, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

7. Bake at 395 F (200 C) about 30 minutes. Cool down completely, sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

BON APPETIT!!! 🙂

Damson Plums – fresh from the Farmer’s Market

Batter

In the pan and sprinkled with walnuts

Voila!

Spongebob Challenge

October 2, 2011October 2, 2011 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 10 Comments

I would have never thought that I would write about Spongebob on my blog! He is a cartoon character that my kids have been watching for several years now. Even though, they are teenagers now, they still enjoy watching Spongebob from time to time… Personally, I don’t find him very amusing and his laugh annoys the heck out of me! Really!

Spongebob Squarepants and his best friend Patrick Star! 😛

The reason, I am writing about our famous Spongebob is that my 7 year old nephew wanted a Spongebob birthday cake! Actually, he said he wanted either a “Spongebob” or “Cars” cake… Since I made him a “Cars” cake last year, I just took on a Spongebob challenge. I am not really a fondant cake type of person! Yes, fondant covered cakes are nice and beautiful, works of art and so on… just not for me!

So, this was really a double challenge – Spongebob and fondant (so not me)! For the love of my cutie-pie nephew I made this cake! It wasn’t easy and it was time consuming.

I enjoyed baking the cake from scratch and making the chocolate ganache frosting. I sliced the cake in half, spread half of the frosting on the first sponge, then put a layer of banana slices, frosting again and then second cake sponge on the top. Spongebob, his house and Patrick I made from rice crispy treats. Everything was covered in fondant (of course)!

Fondant was a whole different story! I didn’t make it myself (learned that lesson last year)! 😀 I bought the white fondant and then worked food coloring into it to get the colors needed for the Spongebob cake! While I was working on it, I remembered how people on the Cake Boss Show do this every day and all I can say is “Hats off to them!” After I made all the colors needed for the cake, I started working on all the small pieces that would come together at the end. My daughter helped me build Spongebob because she loves him and knows every little detail on him. She went even so far to put red and blue stripes on his socks!!! :S This was hard work, but I am glad we did it, especially because my daughter and I worked as a team and in the process she told me about all the funny Spongebob episodes.

I was happy to finish the cake (at 3 AM) and even more happy that my nephew loved it and that his Birthday party was a success! I’m waiting for another challenge this time next year or before… 🙂

This is how it turned out:

His royal Spongyness himself! 🙂

Peach Upside-Down Cake

September 16, 2011September 24, 2011 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 8 Comments

After making peach jam last weekend, I had some peaches left and decided to make this delicious peach upside-down cake. I usually make this cake with plums, but thought peaches would work just as good. This cake is really easy to make, it’s moist and not too sweet, just yummy! 🙂 Enjoy!!!

Peach Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients:

4-5 peaches (peeled and pitted)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup (112 g) butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup (125 g) sugar
1 small lemon (zest and juice)
3 eggs
pinch of salt
3 tbsp sour cream
1 1/2 cup (175 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

Also needed:

a small cooking pot
9 inch (23 cm) round springform pan
parchment paper
aluminum foil

1. Wash the peaches and cut a small cross on the top and the bottom of each. In a small cooking pot boil some water, place peaches inside for 30 seconds, take them out and let them cool down. Peel them, remove pits and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside.

2. Mix butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add a pinch of salt, zest and juice of one lemon. Add an egg one by one, mixing well after each. Fold in sour cream and at the end fold in gently (by hand) flour combined with baking powder.

3. Line the 9 in springform cake pan with a 9 in diameter parchment paper. Combine 2 and 2 tbsp white and brown sugar. Arrange sliced peaches in alternating rows (see below), sprinkle with sugar mixture. Pour the batter over the peaches.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 385 F (about 195 C). Take a 20 in piece of aluminum foil and fold its ends as to make a square pan. Place the cake on the middle oven rack and the aluminum foil pan just on the rack underneath (to catch the peach juices and keep the oven clean).

5. Bake about 30 – 45 minutes until golden brown or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

Note: Springform cake pan vs. regular cake pan. For this kind of cake I prefer a springform pan. Why? Well, let’s just say I learned from my own mistakes! 😀 In a regular cake pan juices from the peaches/plums can’t ecscape and cake turns out soggy. In the springform juices can drip out (reason for using aluminum foil catcher) and the cake turns out perfect.