First of May Cakes

Since I've been living in Italy, every First of May I become very homesick because I can't celebrate it with my friends. In Finland the night before it's like a crazy carnival party and the day after a long picnic at the park "Kaivopuisto" in Helsinki.

To make myself feel better I made these easy little cakes :)

FIRST OF MAY CAKES

200 g crunchy milk chocolate granola

100 g white chocolate (melted)

100 g dark chocolate (melted)

150 g hazelnuts (chopped)

150 g mini marshmallows

+ colourful sprinkles

Prepare some cute paper liners on a tray.

In a big bowl mix carefully all the ingredients together starting from granola, following with melted chocolates, chopped hazelnuts and mini marshmallows. With a spoon divide the mix into the paper liners, decorate with sprinkles and place in the fridge at least for 30 min. 
Serve with something sparkling.

 

 

Pineapple Quark

Starting the day with a healthy but still a sweet breakfast :)

PINEAPPLE QUARK (2 portions)

1/2 pineapple cut into little cubes

250 g quark

150 ml light cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

Peel the pineapple and cut into little cubes (you need a half pineapple for this). In a large bowl whisk cream and add sugars and quark. Mix carefully and add the pineapple cubes. Place the bowl in a fridge for a half hour and serve in a pretty dishes.

Kiwi Ricotta Mousse

Guess everyone wants to get in shape for summer? I do and that's why I'm going to the gym five times a week.. But it doesn't make sense if I continue to eat cakes every day. This is the first example of my body friendly recipes.

KIWI RICOTTA MOUSSE (2 portions)

Mousse:

250 g Ricotta cheese

60 g (1dl) icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 egg

Decorating:

4 kiwis cut into slices

In a medium bowl beat the egg white with icing sugar into a thick foam. In another bowl mix together ricotta cheese with lemon juice, vanilla sugar and egg yolk.

Add the egg-sugar mix in the second bowl little by little mixing carefully. 

Pour into two dishes, decorate with kiwi slices and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

 

Coffee Cream Squares

These are a new version of the classic mocha squares that I used to make in my high school years :)

COFFEE CREAM SQUARES

Base:

2 eggs

170 g (2dl) sugar

200 g (3dl) white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

75 ml milk

150g peanut butter

Filling:

150 g melted milk chocolate

250 g mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons strong espresso coffee

120 g (2dl) icing sugar

+ sprinkles as you wish 

Preheat oven to 200 C. Prepare a medium oven tin covering it with a baking paper and spread some butter on it.

Whisk in a large bowl eggs and sugar. Mix all the dry ingredients together and add them in the first bowl together with milk and softened peanut butter.

Pour the dough on the oven tin and even the surface with a spatula. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes. Let cool.

 

Prepare the topping. In a medium bowl mix together melted chocolate with mascarpone cheese and coffee, then add icing sugar little by little. 

Remove carefully the base from the baking paper turning it upside down on a clean surface. Spread the mascarpone mix on the cake evenly. 

Cut into squares, decorate with sprinkles and serve.

Banana Caramel Cake

This cake has soft spicy base, sugary caramel filling and fluffy whipped cream on top.

BANANA CARAMEL CAKE

Base:

2 medium size bananas

3 eggs

200 g (2,75dl) brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon clove

130 g (2dl) white flour

65 g (1dl) corn flour
50 ml milk

100 g butter

Filling:

200 g caramel sauce

Topping:

200 ml cream

2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

+ caramel sprinkles for decorating

Preheat oven to 200 C. Prepare a spring cake tin covering it well with baking paper (at least 2 cm up the lines).

Cut the bananas into small cubes. In a bowl whisk eggs with sugar into a white foam. In another bowl mix all the dry ingredients together. Start adding in the first bowl the other ingredients: flour mix, milk, melted butter and banana cubes. Mix carefully and pour into the cake tin. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 20-25 min. The cake should remain moist in the middle, do not overcook it.

Once cooled, lay upside down on a serving plate. Spread a layer (1cm) of caramel on the cake. In a bowl whisk cream until it's hard, add vanilla sugar and sugar. Spread the cream on the cake and decorate with toffee sprinkles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choco Cupcakes

 For these cupcakes I found this ready chocolate spread from Ikea, such a perfect topping

CHOCO CUPCAKES

Cupcakes:

2 eggs

170 g (2 dl) brown sugar

250 g (4dl) white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

50 ml milk

150 g melted butter

100 g marshmallows

Topping: 

300 g chocolate spread

Preheat oven to 200 C. Prepare a cupcake tin with paper liners.

In a bowl whisk eggs and brown sugar to a foam. Mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and vanilla sugar). Start adding them together in the egg-sugar mixing carefully, then add milk and melted butter. 
With a kitchen spoon fill the cupcake forms, add a big marshmallow on each one and bake in the middle of the oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Add a lot of chocolate spread on the cooled cupcakes leaving the top a bit higher, 

the more topping the better :)

 

Strawberry Dream

The strawberry season is on and I'm making my best to eat them everyday :)

 

STRAWBERRY DREAM
 

250 g strawberries

100 g cream cheese

150 ml cream

2 tablespoons icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

 

Cut the strawberries into little cubes. In a bowl whisk cream until it's hard. 

Add cream cheese, sugars and chopped strawberries and mix carefully.

Pour the mix onto two pretty dish, decorate with strawberry slices, place in the fridge to cool for 30min and serve.

Carrot Cake

This cake was served in my confirmation party and have been one of my favourites since. 

I had to modify the recipe a bit because I couldn't find the same kind of processed cheese here in Italy for the topping but this version was actually really good :)

CARROT CAKE

Base:

4 medium carrots 

2 eggs

200 g sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

130 g (2dl) white flour

100 g (1,5dl) almond flour

150 g butter (melted)

Topping:

150 g soft processed cheese (not the slices but the little cubes)

150 g Philadelphia

250 g icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

50 g butter (room temperature)

+ toasted almond flakes on top

Preheat oven to 200 C. Prepare a spring cake tin with baking paper covering the bottom and 2 cm on the lines.

Grate carrots. In a bowl whisk eggs and sugar into a foam. Mix all the dry ingredients (white flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, almond flour), add them, milk and melted butter into egg-sugar foam.

Then add grated carrots and mix carefully. Pour the mix into the cake tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes until the top of the cake turns golden brown. Let cool, remove from the cake tin, place upside down on a serving plate and remove the baking paper.

Prepare the topping. Mix together soft processed cheese, Philadelphia, icing sugar, vanilla sugar and room temperature butter.

Spread the topping all over the cake and decorate with toasted almond flakes.