I recently had the absolute pleasure of partaking in The Cupcake Lady‘s decorating workshop, Cupcake Basics, in a suburb close to South Australia’s capital, Adelaide. As soon as we had confirmed our Australian travel plans back around October, I jumped online and booked my spot in the class (they sell out fast!). I was not…
Baking
AN EVENING WITH MAGNUS JOHANSSON (AKA sweet dreams come true for local food hero)
Last week I had the privilege to attend an event hosted by Sjöstadens Folketshusförening featuring internationally renowned pastry chef Magnus Johansson, whose bakery recently opened in my neighbourhood (lucky me!) and in whose studio the event was held. Magnus Johansson is arguably Sweden’s most famous pastry chef and has been, among other ridiculously accomplished things, responsible for the Nobel Prize dinner dessert for 10…
CHOCOLATE-FILLED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES (AKA can you really go wrong with 3 types of chocolate?)
My husband’s birthday was a simple affair this year. After a long day/week in the office he decided that a visit from his close family, some take-away food and a comfy spot on the couch were all that he wanted in the way of a birthday celebration. I, on the other hand, think that no…
APPLE PIE (AKA autumn perfection)
Autumn. Apple pie. Perfection. Need I say more? APPLE PIE Prep Time: 30 Min, Cook Time: 60 Min INGREDIENTS: 1 quantity of pastry for a 9 inch double-crust pie 115 g unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 60 ml water 100 g white sugar 110 g packed brown sugar 7-8 peeled, cored and sliced Granny Smith…
EASY DOUBLE-CRUST PASTRY (AKA pastry making for dummies?)
A recipe that I sought out/discovered by necessity (in order to make an apple pie), and one that I will keep and cherish! As a double-crust pastry novice, I experienced the nervousness associated with lovingly making a wonderful apple pie filling yet not knowing whether the pastry would be a success or spell disaster. I…
1, 2, 3 PINEAPPLE COCONUT CAKE
1 deciliter of sugar, 2 deciliters of flour and 3 decilitres of fruit, add a little coconut, some baking powder to help it rise just a little, mix… and voilà! It really is as easy as 1, 2, 3! A super yummy, super easy pudding-like cake that uses basic ingredients that you probably have on hand….
PEAR AND CARDAMOM CAKE (it's vegan, gluten-free & refined sugar-free)
On a not uncommonly wintery Swedish “summer’s” day, I thought I’d give some vegan baking a go. I have never baked with buckwheat flour or raw agave syrup before, but thought that whilst I am “veganising” my meals, I might as well “healthify” them too. As these ingredients (in the quantities I needed) are fairly inexpensive and the…
RUSTIC COCONUT CHOCOLATE BARS (AKA ‘I never need to buy a Bounty bar again!’ part 2)
I did it! Yes, no less than two days after dreaming up a reconstructed Bounty bar using my coconut macaroon recipe, it has materialised in my kitchen (shame on me!). The results are nothing to be sniffed at. Moist, fluffy, coconutty and chocolately, they are less sticky-sweet than the factory produced, plastic-wrapped original that inspired…
COCONUT MACAROONS WITH RASPBERRY DARK CHOCOLATE (AKA 'I never need to buy a Bounty bar again!', part 1)
A spontaneous weekend afternoon tea with friends calls for an easy, quick and impressively yummy homemade treat. A friend had recently given me a lovely block of 70% cocoa fair-trade chocolate infused with raspberry. I decided to take a chance on a recipe I’d seen a long time ago for kockostoppar (Swedish for coconut macaroons)….
TORTA DELLA NONNA (AKA a slice of sunshine)
My second blog entry and recipe number one contains, among other ingredients, marzipan. It’s appropriate given my blog title, no? Surprisingly perhaps, I am not a huge marzipan fan, but it has really grown on me since I moved to Europe and I definitely appreciate its almond-y goodness in certain sweet treats. This is one…