Archive for the 'cakes' Category

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Blackberry and apple loaf

Published by Lucina, on 1 settembre 2012 in cakes, Dolci and English Recipes. 4 Comments

blackberry and apple loaf

I’ve managed to collect quite a few blackberries lately during my foraging sessions in the neighbourhood. I’ve been keeping an eye on them for a few weeks now and the first ones of the season have finally made their appearance and are ready for picking (despite the shocking summer we have had. Bless them!).  I love all types of berries but there is nothing more satisfying than picking your own in the wild, so to speak (ok, in my case it’s an overgrown hedge near a nursing home in my town, but you know what I mean) . And yet I don’t see many people following my example. I wonder why…All the more for me, I say! I confess I am getting very secretive about my “hunting” grounds. I’m very selfish when it comes down to blackberries. Only my closest friends are allowed to join me. :-)  Anyway I’ve decided to blog a few recipes containing these lovely berries. I’ll start with this delicious and moist loaf with a streusel topping which I road tested last week and am going to take to my book group next Tuesday. You must know that one of the appeals of this group is that we always have a slice of cake, which we take it in turn to make, and a cup of tea while discussing the book. BUT you can’t just produce any old cake. Oh no!  It has to be original (something that no one has made before) and it has to be delicious. Of course no lady in my group would ever consider buying a ready made one. It would be classified as a crime, punishable with expulsion. Continue reading ‘Blackberry and apple loaf’

Stasera c’è un party? Megacrostata di pesche al cioccolato

Published by Candida, on 12 luglio 2012 in cakes, Dolci and Ricette in Italiano. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

Ecco una soluzione fattibile per quando si ha bisogno di una GROSSA torta. Può capitare di avere molti ospiti a un compleanno, una festa, o, chissà, a un arrivederci a Meret che parte… :(

Questa crostata è davvero molto buona e l’effetto mi ha soddisfatto in pieno. La frolla è al cacao e si fa il giorno prima, lasciandosi a frollarsi, appunto, in frigo. La crosta di cioccolato fondente isola la consistenza della frolla, la crema pasticcera ammorbidisce il tutto e la gelatina al limone lega insieme. Le pesche danno carattere, profumo e sono un bel abbinamento con il cioccolato. Si può fare tranquillamente nel nostro forno di casa (basta che sia ventilato) in una volta sola. Poi cercatevi un pezzo di polisterolo o di legno della misura delle vostre due teglie da forno che ricoprirete di carta stagnola e sarà il vassoio su cui assemblare e presentare la vostra creazione. Per 30.

Allora… al lavoro. Basta mettersi, non è così terribile. Davvero.

Continue reading ‘Stasera c’è un party? Megacrostata di pesche al cioccolato’

Lemon curd and almond cupcakes

Published by Lucina, on 22 aprile 2012 in cakes and English Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: .

lemon curd cupcakes

You have got to try these little cakes! They are UTTERLY delicious!!! And a doddle to make…. The original recipe (from our good friend Hugh Fearnley….who else?) is actually to make muffins but I put mine in biggish paper cases and the result was they looked more…well  like cupcakes than muffins. So I’ll blog them as such. Mine are actually a variation of what Hugh does as I have mixed the flour with some ground almonds (in the original recipe there is just flour). They are really light and ever so soft. I love their zesty taste of lemon and their yellow colour. And by the way, if you Italians don’t know what lemon curd is (not even sure whether it exists in Italy) look at this recipe to make it. I confess I bought mine at Marks and Spencer but there is nothing stopping you from making your own. In fact, even better! I hope that my son Mike will have a go at making them to impress girls and colleagues alike…:-) Continue reading ‘Lemon curd and almond cupcakes’

Pear and frangipane tart

Published by Lucina, on 2 aprile 2012 in cakes and English Recipes. 5 Comments Tags: , .

I absolutely ADORE all types of frangipane tarts but I had never attempted to make one until now. I knew pears worked very well with frangipane and I had a few organic ones  which needed using (funny things are pears: one minute they are too hard, the next too soft. I’ve thrown away MANY in my life! But not this time…) plus a group of Italian ladies about to descend on me to discuss our latest book (I belong to two groups: an English one and an Italian one. In both the making of the cake is as important, if not more important, than the discussion of the book. Draw your own conclusions. ha ha). The decision was made for me.  I did a bit of research on line for a suitable recipe and stumbled upon this one by the Michelin starred chef Angela Hartnett which sounded promising. Ok, I admit it’s not a “throw everything in and mix” type of cake. In fact it is a bit of a faff, particularly as you need to poach the pears beforehand AND you need to make that shortcrust, crumbly type of pastry that every woman in the right mind hates . Still, I was determined to go ahead (talk about bees in one’s bonnet). I poached the pears the previous night and made the rest the following day. I can honestly say it tasted DIVINE!  Ok, I’m blowing my own trumpet a little here BUT there is no point in being accused of false modesty, is there? All Italian ladies praised it to the sky and demanded I blogged it, so here it is. Enjoy! Continue reading ‘Pear and frangipane tart’

Honey and peanut butter cereal bars

Published by Lucina, on 7 febbraio 2012 in cakes and English Recipes. 7 Comments

honey and peanut butter cereal bar

I MUST blog these delicious, moist cereal bars which I made for the first time last week. I found the recipe in the Everyday River Cottage recipe book I’ve already mentioned in my last posting.They are divine and everyone has been remarking on how good they taste. My dearest hubby liked them so much he decided to make a batch himself to take to work. Sure enough his colleagues were mightily  impressed. Particularly when they heard HE had made them. Ok I supervised him a teeny weeny bit but still… Anyway, they are a cinch to make and are a lot healthier than the bog standard cereal bars you  buy in the shops. …. They are packed full with oats, seeds and dried fruit so they have got to be good for you, right? RIGHT! I grant: there is also butter, sugar, honey and peanut butter amongst the ingredients, which are hardly healthy, but who’s looking,eh? They are ideal to take to work and munch when you need an energy fix. By the way, I LOVE peanut butter. I confess I could happily scoff half a jar by myself…..Mmmmmhhhhh! On to the recipe then…. Continue reading ‘Honey and peanut butter cereal bars’

Pear and raspberry cake

Published by Lucina, on 16 dicembre 2011 in cakes and English Recipes. 0 Comments

pear and raspberries cake

How is it possible to combine an autumn fruit like the pear with a summer one like the raspberry? Thanks to globalization, that’s what! And I have got to admit I am feeling a bit guilty about it.  I am not sure how kosha, or good for the environment, it is to buy raspberries from Argentina in December. I hope readers will forgive me. Candi, do you remember when we were kids and there was none of this luxury of being able to find ANYTHING in the fruit and vegetable world at ANY time of the year? I very much doubt there will be many young people out there who KNOW for sure when certain fruits or vegetables are in season. And another thing: we might be able to find strawberries in the depth of winter but, let’s face it, they are rather tasteless! Anyway, enough rambling! I have made this cake a few times now and it has been a success on every single occasion. I found the recipe (which I slightly adapted) in the Rachel Allen’s book called Bake, which is shortly turning into a Bible for me, as I have made many things out of it already. Continue reading ‘Pear and raspberry cake’

Chocolate and pear pudding

Published by Lucina, on 27 ottobre 2011 in cakes, Dolci and English Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , .

chocolate and pear pudding

As Candi blogged a pear and chocolate conserve a few weeks back  I’ve decided to follow suit with a chocolate and pear pudding. As she has already mentioned, and rightly so,  the combination of pears and chocolate is simply divine. I’ve made this pudding several times already and it’s absolutely delicious. Success every time. And very simple to make too! It should be served warm with a hot chocolate sauce (see recipe at the bottom). What could be nicer on a hot winter night? I’ve used the mighty Nigella Lowson’s recipe, by the way. Candi was on a mission to try all her chocolate cakes back at the beginning of the year. Did you succeed, by the way?

Continue reading ‘Chocolate and pear pudding’

I mitici scones inglesi!!!

Published by Lucina, on 3 ottobre 2011 in cakes and English Recipes. 1 Comment Tags: .
scones with jam and cream

Come potete vedere sto rompendo una tradizione e bloggando in italiano e non in inglese. E come mai? vi chiederete…. La risposta è molto semplice. Perchè questa ricetta è dedicata a mia sorella Lizzi che mi ha chiesto di metterla on line. Lei l’inglese lo mastica poco e così eccomi qua ad usare la mia lingua natia. E comunque non penso che le mie amiche inglesi se la prenderanno più di tanto dal momento che gli scones qui sono piuttosto comuni. Ma cosa sono sti scones, si chiederanno quegli italiani che non hanno mai avuto la fortuna di mangiarli? Sono un incrocio tra un biscotto e un panino alle uvette. Morbidi dentro ma con la crosta croccantina. Come il pane devono essere mangiati in giornata perché il giorno dopo già non sono più così buoni. Tutte le tea rooms che si rispettano li servono. Sia quelli dolci con le uvette che quelli salati al formaggio. Ma non tutti gli scones che si trovano in giro sono buoni. C’è scone e scone!!! Io quelli fatti come si deve li  adoro e devo dire che li preparo abbastanza spesso.  Se ci fosse un lavoro di assaggiatrice di scones mi fionderei a fare domanda. Ha ha. A proposito, possono essere serviti semplicemente tagliati a metà e spalmati con il burro o con l’aggiunta di marmellata (generalmente di fragole). I più goduriosi sono come quelli in fotografia: serviti con panna montata e marmellata. DIVINI! Vero Lizzi? Continue reading ‘I mitici scones inglesi!!!’

Baked cheesecake with blueberries

Published by Lucina, on 30 agosto 2011 in cakes, Dolci and English Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , .

blueberry cheesecake

I love cheesecakes and I have tried many different ones, using a variety of  soft cheeses like mascarpone or Philadelphia. This one is particularly easy to make but it looks really professional so you could easily impress your friends if you produce one of these. It tastes even nicer the day after (you have to store it in the fridge in that case) so it’s ideal if you have people for dinner and you want to cook ahead. You can make it with other berries like raspberries or blackberries. But I love blueberries so that’s what I chose and I am now sharing with you. Strangely enough I have never seen a cheesecake on sale in Italy (I might be wrong. Do tell me if I am Candi when you get back from Russia) but they are very popular here in the UK and, may I add, in Austria and Germany where we had some delicious ones while we were there on holiday. The recipe is, once again, from Rachel Allen’s book called Bake. Continue reading ‘Baked cheesecake with blueberries’

Lemon and poppyseed cake

Published by Lucina, on 24 maggio 2011 in cakes and English Recipes. 3 Comments Tags: , .

lemon and poppyseed cake

The idea to make this particular cake came while I was in Scotland just after Easter. We rented a remote cottage for a week in the middle of nowhere and had a fabulous time walking, thanks to the glorious weather (yes, occasionally the sun shines here too!). To replenish the lost calories every day, after each walk, we treated ourselves to a slice of cake in some lovely tea room or other in the area. One of the cakes I had while I was there was one made with lemon and poppyseeds. I had never had one before but it was absolutely gorgeous.  What I particularly liked about it was the tanginess of the lemon combined with the interesting, crunchy texture from the poppy seeds. When I came back I went hunting for a recipe to try and found one by Jill Dupleix which sounded good. My guinea pigs were the bunch of Italian ladies who have the misfortune (or is it a fortune? The jury is still out on that one) to live here in the UK in my same area. I invited them for lunch and presented them with this cake explaining I needed to try it out before it went on the blog  (between you and me I think they are getting sick of me and my blog! :-)). Well….they loved it , and so did my husband who had what was left, so here it is. It is lovely and moist inside but it  has a delicious crunchy lemon and sugar topping . Mind you: be careful to check your teeth in the mirror for any errand seeds after you have eaten it  or  they might think you are in need of dental treatment! Continue reading ‘Lemon and poppyseed cake’