Showing posts with label Elevensies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elevensies. Show all posts
I have always wanted to bake Madeleines. I have had a silicone Madeleine pan for quite a while now and had never used it. Today was the day.
Ahhh . . . . Madeleines. That little French butter cake that most (non-French) people think of more as a cookie.
I am quite picky when it comes to biscuits/cookies. I love chocolate chip cookies . . . but my chocolate chip cookies have to be crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle . . . and have lotsa chocolate chips in them. I also love raisins and nuts in mine, although I know not everyone does. My molasses cookies have to be soft and puffy. Oatmeal cookies . . . crisp, crisp, crisp. Not all cookies are alike and not all cookies are appreciated for the same reasons.
I had scheduled both the Elders and the Sisters for tea appointments this week, two days in a row and so I set about to do a dessert to serve them that I could actually use two days in a row and decided that a large cake would do the trick. I could cut it into squares and serve it with ice cream both nights. Whatever works, right?
When I was growing up I hated pumpkin pie. I am not sure why. It was just not something I enjoyed. As an adult I have come to love it however, and every time I see tinned pumpkin in the shops here in the UK, I pick up a whole whack of it. Because you can't ever have too much tinned pumpkin can you??? And also because it is also a very rare find over here.
I discovered a huge pot of vanilla yogurt in the refrigerator that was almost at it's sell by date the other day and as I hate wasting anything, I decided to make a cake with it. But not just any cake . . . a deliciously dense and moreish Vanilla Yogurt Loaf cake!
I don't know why it is but it's really difficult to photograph chocolate things and make them come out looking as delicious as they really are. I am sorely lacking in knowledge about these things and so these cookies here today only look half as delicious as they really, so please don't let the photo's turn you off. I promise you these are really, REALLY good!
I make a lemon cake that we are awfully fond of here in my house . . . a Lemon and Chocolate Chip Cake. It's really good, with a nice lemon flavoured cake and just a hit of chocolate chunks throughout. Lemon and chocolate are actually a very nice flavour combination. It's true.
We are big fans of lemon cookies in this house . . . okay, so I lied, it's really only me that likes baked lemon anything, but I didn't want you to think I was a glutton and eat all the lemon stuff myself, even if it is true. haha That's actually a lie as well, I normally send half of every lemon bake I make to our good friend Doreen. She doesn't mind in the least!
I can still remember the very first time I had a Cantuccini, or Biscotti as they are also known. I was probably in my early 30's. My ex and I were enjoying a weekend on our own at my ex Sister in Law's condo in Toronto . . . down on Young Street . . . in the midst of what was happening in Toronto.
You know you are living in a nice complex when you have an Italian Coffee Shop on the first floor filled with foreign Italian delights and . . . what was really new to me . . . Barista Coffee!
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Always the foodie . . . I remember seeing a glass jar on the counter filled with these long, crisp biscuits and I so wanted to taste one. They were very expensive as I recall . . . so it was a real treat when my husband bought one for me.
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Always the foodie . . . I remember seeing a glass jar on the counter filled with these long, crisp biscuits and I so wanted to taste one. They were very expensive as I recall . . . so it was a real treat when my husband bought one for me.
I sat there and savoured every last crumb . . . crisp and filled with nuts, I thought it was quite wonderful. That started a lifelong love affair for me with these crisp Italian Biscuits!
When my ex boss and her husband went on their yearly trips to Rome . . . they always brought back Italian Cantuccini and Amaretti, Torcetti and Baci . . . I do confess, I would sneak one just so that I could savour an Italian treat.
When my ex boss and her husband went on their yearly trips to Rome . . . they always brought back Italian Cantuccini and Amaretti, Torcetti and Baci . . . I do confess, I would sneak one just so that I could savour an Italian treat.
Naughty me. It is my dream that one day I will be able to visit Italy and savour all it's flavours, but in the meantime, I try to recreate some of them here at home.
I have a whole Board on Pinterest dedicated to Biscotti! Biscotti and Cantuccini are pretty much the same thing. Biscotti (Twice Cooked in English) Cantuccini (Coffee Bread in English)
I have a whole Board on Pinterest dedicated to Biscotti! Biscotti and Cantuccini are pretty much the same thing. Biscotti (Twice Cooked in English) Cantuccini (Coffee Bread in English)
They are crisp dry biscuits, with lovely flavours that are perfect for serving with hot drinks or sweet wines. There are tons of different recipes out there to choose from . . . but I think the ones with almonds are my favourite.
I found this recipe on a German Food Blog called Lykkelig. Her photograph was very beguiling . . . and I loved the combination of spices used in the dough . . . warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves . . .
I found this recipe on a German Food Blog called Lykkelig. Her photograph was very beguiling . . . and I loved the combination of spices used in the dough . . . warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves . . .
I think a bit of orange zest would not go amiss. Next time I will add some.
It was a bit of a risk using a recipe from a foreign language, but the pictures on the blog looked okay.
It was a bit of a risk using a recipe from a foreign language, but the pictures on the blog looked okay.
Between Todd who really speaks quite a lot in German and Google Translate, I was able to make heads and tails of the recipe. They turned out perfect!
Not to mention they smelled just like what I would imagine Heaven to smell like while they were baking!
Not to mention they smelled just like what I would imagine Heaven to smell like while they were baking!
I think I have made a bit of a pig of myself since they came out of the oven and will have to ask Todd to lock them up for the rest of the evening!
I
found this recipe on a german blog and took the trouble to translate
it. Am I ever glad I did! Delicious! These smell heavenly when
baking.
Store in an airtight container.
*Spiced Cantuccini with Almonds*
Makes about 3 dozen
250g of plain flour (1 3/4 cup plus 1 3/4 tsp)
pinch salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 pinches each ground cardamom and ground cloves
1 pinch each ground nutmeg and ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
30g of butter, softened (2 TBS plus 1/4 tsp)
180g caster sugar (15 TBS)
2 medium free range eggs
70g of blanched toasted almonds (scant half cup)
Cream
the sugar and butter together until well blended. Beat in the eggs one
at a time. Sift together the flour, spices, salt and baking powder.
Stir this into the creamed mixture, mixing well with a wooden spoon.
Knead in the almonds, then shape into a flat rectangle, about 1 inch
thick. Cover with cling film and chill in the refrigerator for half an
hour.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Cut
the dough rectangle into 4 equal strips. Shape into rounded flat
loaves and place onto the baking tray, leaving plenty of space in
between for spreading. Bake in the heated oven for 20 minutes. Remove
from the oven and allow to cool.
Cut into slices with a
sharp knife, about 1/2 inch in thickness. Place the slices back onto
the baking sheet, cut side down and bake for further 10 to 12 minutes
until crisp.
One thing that the British do really well are biscuits, or cookies as they are known in North America. There are whole aisles in the grocery shops devoted to the British Biscuit containing every indulgence under the sun! I was quite amazed when I first moved over here and saw the variety available! It's quite mind boggling, really . . . but after 15 years I have come to have favourites amongst the lot!
This may not be the most beautiful cake in the world . . . but it sure is one of the most delicious cakes! It's extremely moist and somewhat dense . . . a cake you can really get yourself stuck into. It's sturdy and picnick-able. (Is that a word?) What I mean is its quite portable and not so fragile that it will fall apart which makes it perfect for picnics!
I had the fortune to have some bananas go very ripe the other day which gave me the opportunity to bake something delicious. I only ever rarely am able to do that as the Toddster eats up the bananas almost faster than I can bring them into the house! He does love his bananas!
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