Back on track and a chocolate Linzertorte

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Can’t believe it’s almost a year since i had my last post here….

But most of all i can’t believe it’s been almost a year since my baby came into my world! He came and everything changed. Daily routine, needs, wants, feelings, priorities… everything!

and if it sounds silly or like an excuse…it isn’t, when there is a baby around there is no time for anything else but him! when he was a newborn i had to feed him every 2.30 – 3 hours, wich means that there was no much of sleeping time for me…and most of the times, when he was asleep and i was not, i was standing right next to him staring at him and trying to realise that this little creature is mine… i still haven’t realised it! i had to learn how to change his diaper, how to clean him and giving him a bath, to sterilize the milk bottles and the pacifiers, even to hold him the right way.. everything was so new and exciting!

he’s growing up now and he stopped breastfeeding a few weeks ago, so we both sleep all night long most of the nights!! during the day we play a lot, sing a lot, talk a lot! he know knows what sound does the cow, the chicken, the duck, the cat and the dog make! he even points at him when you ask “where is Yiannis ?” and raise his hands over his head when someone asks how much mommy loves him! he calls me “mama” and Costas “papa” and we both feel like shedding some happy tears everytime we hear it

time goes by so quickly and i barely remember how he looked like a few days after he was born… so i want to be with him as much as i can so in the future, when he’ll be a grown up and i ‘ll be an elderly lady, maybe i can have some memories of him as a baby…

till then let’s make some cake!

today i have an austrian linzertorte recipe that an old greek-austrian friend gave me. i lost that friend somehow but not the recipe!

Enjoy it!

Linzertorte

2/3cup raspberry jam

300gr flour

150gr butter

3 tspn baking powder

70gr walnuts crushed

120gr icing sugar

1 tspn vanilla

30gr chocolate shredded

2 eggs

zest of 1 lemon

1tspn ground cinnamon

how to make it

Preheat oven to 180 C.

In a bowl of a stand mixer put all the ingedients together except the jam. Mix until well combined and leave the mixture in the fridge for half an hour.

Divide the dough into two balls one slightly larger than the other. Take the larger one and press it with your hand into the bottom and up the sides of a buttered tart pan about 24cm. take the jam and spread it over the crust. take the smaller dough and roll it into long strings and place it onto the jam in two layers cross wise the one over the other creating a lattice design.

bake for about 40′.

Hello Autumn | Banana chocolate cake with hazelnuts

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Hello there!

Autumn is finally here and i’m waiting for my baby to come in just a few days from now! i can’t say i’m quite ready for the big day but is anyone really ready for a day like that?! Hopefully everything’s gonna be great… or at least normal…!

i baked a lot during this pregnancy time but at the end not much of energy was left to set up a photography set to show you.

some days are better than others though, and now that i’m close to the “end” my energy has come back again!

Cakes are my favorite thing to bake and now that the warm days of summer are a sweet memory, it’s the best time to enjoy a cup of warm tea and a piece of cake!

So, a couple of days ago i made a cake with bananas and chocolate. the original recipe was calling for walnuts but i had some wild hazelnuts that Costa’s mother had picked up from the mountains. Their rich, raw flavor was a big surpise to me!

Some semisweet chocolate in the batter and a simple chocolate glaze on top gives the cake extra moist and flavor to the really moist banana cake!

Bake it and enjoy the upcoming chilly mornings with a cup of tea!

Love and hugs!

for the cake

380ml sunflower oil

150grsugar

2 large eggs

320gr flour

3 tspn baking powder

1 1/2 tspn baking soda

1/2 tspn salt

220gr greek yogurt

4 ripe mashed bananas

1 1/2 cup hazelnut flour

3/4 cup chocolate knife cutted

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan.

2. in a large bowl shift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. in a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together oil and sugar until sugar disolves

4. add eggs, one at a time, and yogurt

5. stir in flour, milk and bananas and mix until well combined

6. fold in hazelnut flour and chocolate chips and mix gently with spatula

7. pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 175 degrees C 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. leave to cool.

for the chocolate glaze

120gr icing sugar

40gr cocoa powder

80gr honey

3 tbspns hot water

1. in a small mixing bowl shift together sugar and cocoa powder

2. in small bowl mix together honey and hot water

3. Stir honey in sugar/cocoa mixture until sugar disolves and have a thick glaze.

4. pour glaze over the cake.

5. eat and enjoy!

It’s summertime!

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Have a great and long summertime!

Lemon Strawberry Cake

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Sometimes i think i could just eat strawberries! well, not just strawberries…

I love strawberries in my yogurt, strawberries in my cake, strawberries in my fresh green salad, strawberries in wipped cream, strawberries in a pie… or with my ice cream or even with a glass of sparkling wine… i love their flavor, their bright red color and the sweetness in the taste.

Costas asked for a simple lemon cake the other day, but i just couldn’t resist on adding some bright red strawberries i bought from the grocery store the same morning!

I chose to made a chiffon lemon cake which is lighter than a butter cake and it’s very moist and perfect to fill it with a cold whipped cream.

This cake It’s best served the day after, when cream is cold enough and all the flavors of lemon, strawberries and cream have come together.

;

Easter bread

Τσουρέκι

1/4 κούπας ζάχαρη
2 κουτ.γλ. ξηρή μαγιά
1/2 κουπα γαλα, ζεστό
4 1/2 κούπες αλεύρι
Ξύσμα από ένα πορτοκάλι
3 αυγά
Μια πρέζα αλάτι
70γρ βούτυρο σε θερμοκρασία δωμάτιου

Γέμιση

200γρ. Σοκολάτα κουβερτούρα σε κομματάκια
115γρ. Βούτυρο σε πολύ μαλακό
200γρ. Μαρσιπαν (στα μεγαλα σουπερ μαρκετ)
Λίγα αμύγδαλα φιλέ

Σιρόπι

1/2κουπα νερό
½ κούπα ζάχαρη
Ξύσμα από ένα πορτοκάλι

Για το ζύμη

Σε ένα μπολάκι ανακατεύουμε το ζεστό γάλα με τη μαγιά και 1 κουταλιά σούπας από τη ζάχαρη και αφήνουμε για λίγα λεπτά μέχρι να φουσκώσει ελαφρά.

Στον κάδο του μίξερ ανακατεύουμε με το γάντζο το αλεύρι την υπόλοιπη ζάχαρη το αλάτι και το ξυσμα. Χτυπάμε ελαφρά τα αυγά και με την ταχύτητα στο χαμηλό τα προσθέτουμε στον κάδο. Αμέσως προσθέτουμε και το μείγμα της μαγιάς. Μόλις αρχίσει να σχηματίζεται μια ζύμη προσθέτουμε το βούτυρο κουταλιά κουταλιά. Συνεχίζουμε το χτύπημα 10 λεπτά ακόμα.

Μεταφέρουμε τη ζύμη σε ένα μπολ, τη σκεπάζουμε με πετσέτα και αφήνουμε να διπλασιαστεί σε όγκο περίπου 2 ωρες

Βουτυρώνουμε δυο μακρόστενες φόρμες και τοποθετούμε χαρτί ψησίματος το οποίο βουτυρώνουμε κι αυτό.

Για τη γέμιση χτυπάμε στο μουλτι το βούτυρο μαζί με το μαρσιπαν να γίνουν μια πάστα.

Χωρίζουμε τη ζύμη στα δυο, ανοίγουμε το πρώτο μέρος σε φύλλο παραλληλόγραμμο. Απλώνουμε τη μισή ποσότητα από το μείγμα βούτυρο/μαρσιπαν και τη μισή σοκολάτα. Τυλίγουμε σε ρολό και το κόβουμε στη μέση σε όλο το μήκος. Πλέκουμε τα δυο μέρη σε πλεξούδα, με την πλευρά που βλέπουμε τη γέμιση να είναι προς τα πάνω. Μεταφέρουμε στη φόρμα. Επαναλαμβάνουμε και με το δεύτερο μισό ζύμης. Αφήνουμε τις φόρμες σκεπασμένες για μια ώρα περίπου να διπλασιαστούν ξανά τα τσουρεκια. Πασπαλίζουμε με το αμύγδαλο και Ψήνουμε στους 180 για 25 λεπτά περίπου.

Όση ώρα ψήνονται ετοιμάζουμε το σιρόπι, βράζοντας τη ζαχαρη με το νερό και το ξύσμα μέχρι να διαλυθεί η ζάχαρη. Σιροπιάζουμε τα τσουρέκια μόλις βγουν από το φούρνο. Αφήνουμε να κρυώσουν και ξεφορμάρουμε.

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