St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes and Cake

I made those cupcakes for our St. Patrick's Day lunch which we have every year in our company. I always bring something sweet. So this year I decided to make green cupcakes. Yum!

Orange and almond cupcakes:
100 gr. butter at room temperature,
1 egg,
5 egg yolks (keep egg whites for butter cream),
1 1/2 cups sugar,
grated zest of 1/2 orange,
1 tsp orange essence,
100 ml cream,
100 ml milk,
2 cups plain flour,
1 cup ground almonds,
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp green food colouring.

Preheat oven to 170C. Prepare a muffin pan and cases.

Whip the butter until light and fluffy, add sugar and beat until pale. Add egg and egg yolks one at the time beating well after each addition.

Mix cream, milk, orange essence, food colouring and orange zest. In a different bowl mix almonds, flour and baking powder.

Add liquid and flour mixtures to the butter and eggs each in three batches starting and finishing with the flour.

Divide the butter between muffin cases and bake for about 20 min.


Swiss meringue butter cream (Recipe by Martha Stewart):  
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.

2.Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.

4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

And finally, the cake! 
Made from the same butter and the same butter cream. Just covered with fondant and decorated with shamrocks. I'm not really good in this sort of cake decorations, but I think it's still cute. No?

Iced honey mascarpone and almond cake with fig salad

This is my new favourite - awesome almond cake with figs - absolute divine.  To be honest I'm not a big fun of mascarpone and also I don't like honey, but in this cake I love them. Try it with a glass of a sherbety, grapey Moscato.
You’ll need to start this recipe at least a day ahead. Recipe adapted from Gourmet Traveller Magazine.

Ingredients:
12       figs, quartered
125 gm       raspberries (optional)
1 tbsp       amaretto
To serve:       honey

Almond dacquoise
200 gm       unblanched almonds
6       eggwhites
110 gm (½ cup)       caster sugar
60 gm       icing sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
50 gm       plain flour

Honey mascarpone
3       egg yolks
110 gm       honey (I used 50 gm honey and 60 gm brown sugar)
750 gm       mascarpone (I used 400 gm mascarpone and 500 ml whipped cream)
60 ml (¼ cup)       amaretto




1     For dacquoise, preheat oven to 150C. Process almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer until soft peaks form, add caster sugar and whisk until thick and glossy. Fold in icing sugar, then almonds and flour and spoon into a piping bag. Trace three 18cm circles onto baking paper-lined oven trays. Pipe dacquoise within template into circles, bake for 15 minutes or until just golden, cool on trays for 5 minutes, then turn onto baking paper sprinkled with icing sugar and cool completely.

2     For mascarpone, combine egg yolks and honey in a heat-proof bowl and whisk over simmering water for 7-8 minutes or until pale and thick. Transfer to an electric mixer and whisk until cold. In a bowl, gently mix amaretto and mascarpone, then fold in egg yolk mixture.

3     To assemble, place a dacquoise circle, trimming edges to fit, into a baking paper-lined 20cm springform pan, spread with one third of mascarpone all the way to the edges and down the sides, then top with another circle. Repeat with remaining mascarpone and dacquoise, finishing with a layer of mascarpone and freeze overnight.

4     Fifteen minutes before serving, remove cake from freezer and place in refrigerator. Combine figs and raspberries in a bowl, drizzle with amaretto and stand for 10 minutes. To serve, remove cake from pan, arrange fig salad on top and drizzle with honey.

Smoked salmon and cashew pate

Ingredients: 
150 g cold smoked salmon  
200 g cream cheese at room temperature  
2 tablespoons sour cream  
2 tablespoons lemon juice  
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped   
good pinch of ground dried ginger 
 50 g cashew nuts  freshly ground black pepper. 

Put the cashew nuts in a blender and process until finely chopped. Set aside.


Put the fish, sour cream, lemon juice and cream cheese in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the cashew nuts and dill, mix until combined. Season with ginger and freshly ground pepper. Fold in the container and store in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Melon salad with honey and ginger

Last days of summer. I can even feel the autumn breath and this feeling inspires me. I love autumn - no more crazy hot days, plenty of fruits and veges, my figs in the garden are almost ready and sky at night is full of stars ...
Melons are in season now too. I'm not a big fan of ginger and I don't like honey at all, but in this salad they make quite a beautiful composition. Recipe adapted from Gourmet traveller magazine.

Ingredients

(Serves 6)
175 gm (½ cup)  honey
2 tbsp finely chopped glacé ginger
1 vanilla bean, split
500 gm watermelon
500 gm  rockmelon
500 gm  honeydew melon
To serve: vanilla ice-cream

1. Combine honey, ginger and vanilla bean and ½ cup water in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat for 8 minutes or until reduced by half. Cool to room temperature.
2. Peel melons and remove seeds, then cut into 3cm cubes. Combine melon and syrup and stand for 30 minutes to marinate. Serve melon salad with scoops of vanilla ice-cream.

Beetroot rosti with horseradish cream and smoked salmon

I love the combination of beetroot and salmon. It reminds me about my childhood. This recipe is really good for a weekend breakfast, then you are not on a hurry. So forget about your cereals and make something different.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 x 450g tin baby beetroot, drained
4 medium (about 600g) pontiac potatoes, peeled
50g butter, melted
2 tbs olive oil
250g ctn creme fraiche
1 tbs grated horseradish, drained
2 tsp Dijon mustard
200g smoked salmon slices
1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced lengthways
 Dill sprigs, to serve

Method
Coarsely grate the beetroot and potato and place in a bowl. Use your hands to squeeze as much liquid from the potato and beetroot as possible. Transfer to a clean bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 100°C. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Spoon three 1/4-cup portions of beetroot mixture into the pan. Use a spatula to flatten each portion to an 8cm disc. Cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden brown and cooked though. Use the spatula to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Place in a warm oven. Continue in 3 more batches with remaining beetroot mixture, adding and reheating more oil if necessary.

Combine the creme fraiche, horseradish and mustard in a small bowl. Arrange three rosti on each serving plate. Top with salmon, cucumber and a dollop of creme fraiche mixture. Sprinkle with dill to serve.

Beetroot, avocado & goats cheese salad with pine nuts

Easy and really tasty salad. You can roast the beetroot ahead or use cooked from supermarket. Just quickly put all the ingredients together before serving.

Serves 4
4 medium sized beetroot
2 avocados, peeled
50 g pine nuts
200g goats cheese, crumbled
50g rocket leaves
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Half a clove of garlic, minced
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

To cook the beetroot wrap them in tinfoil, place on an oven tray and bake for about an hour at 190C or until tender.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then peel and slice.

Toast the pine nuts over a medium heat, until golden brown.

In a large bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad, arrange the beetroot and avocado slices over the rocket leaves, drizzle with dressing, then add the goats cheese crumbles. Finally scatter each plate with the toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.

Warm beetroot, orange & haloumi salad

This vegetarian salad mixes salty haloumi with the sweetness of beetroot and orange.

Ingredients (serves 4)
3 medium beetroot, ends trimmed
3 oranges, peeled, white pith removed
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
150g baby spinach leaves
1 x 250g pkt haloumi, drained, thinly sliced crossways

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Wrap each beetroot in foil. Place in a roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour or until the beetroot is tender when pierced with a skewer. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Wearing gloves to avoid staining your hands, peel the beetroot and cut into wedges.

Meanwhile, holding the oranges over a bowl to catch any juice, use a sharp knife to cut along either side of the white membrane to remove the segments. Use your hands to squeeze the remaining juice from the flesh into the bowl (you will need 80ml/1/3 cup juice). Add the oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine the beetroot, orange segments and spinach in a large bowl. Divide among serving plates.

Cook the haloumi in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden.

Top the salad with the haloumi. Drizzle over the dressing to serve.