The best blueberry muffins - recipe

 Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 200 grams of wheat flour
• 100 -150 grams of sugar according to your taste
• 2 tablespoons of baking powder
• zest from half of a lemon
• a bit of salt
• 60 grams of butter
• 60 milliliters of sunflower oil
• 240 grams of fresh cream
• 1 egg
• 200 grams of fresh blueberries

First, preheat the oven at 220 degrees Celsius.

Beat the butter at room temperature with the sugar, the egg, the sunflower oil and the fresh cream.

Over this mixture add the flour, the baking powder, the salt and the lemon zest, and mix well.

Clean the fresh blueberries and sprinkle a bit of flour over them. Then incorporate them in the mixture. 

Put the composition in a muffin tray and let it bake for about 8 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius and then lower the temperature at 175 degrees and let them bake for another 15 minutes.

When done, let them cool in the oven for 10 minutes with the door open.

Then take the muffins out of the muffin tray and let them cool on a rack.

When cooled, store them in the fridge in a glass box. They are excellent even after 2 days. 

The original recipe can be found here .

Homemade Drunken Babka

First of all, you have to know that it will take you the whole day to do it, because of the long resting time between steps. So, take a deep breath and let s start!

Ingredients for the dough of 1 babka

• 350 grams of wheat flour
• 110 grams of butter
• 70 grams of sugar
• 70 grams of eggs (1 big egg)
• 110 milliliters of milk
• 40 grams of egg yolks (2 egg yolks) 
• 25 grams of fresh yeast
• lemon zest from half of a lemon
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• a bit of rum essence
• a pinch of salt

Ingredients for the filling

• 150 grams of ground walnut
• 50 grams of sugar
• 40 grams of cognac
• 30 grams of cocoa powder
• 2 egg whites

Ingredients for the syrup

• 160 grams of sugar
• 50 milliliters of water
• 50 milliliters of cognac
• a small vanilla stick

First of all make the dough

Take out the butter from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for later.

In a bowl, mix the fresh yeast with 50 milliliters of warm milk, 1 tbsp sugar and 30 grams of flour. Let it rest until it doubles the volume.

Meanwhile, beat the egg and the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, the salt, the rum essence, the lemon zest and vanilla sugar until they double the volume.

When the fresh yeast is ready, add it over the beaten eggs. 

Add the flour and the remaining cold milk and mix for a few minutes. 

The dough should be soft and sticky, but if needed add more milk or flour. This depends very much of the quality and type of the flour.

Incorporate the butter a bit at the time. If you have a mixer, use it. Now it s the time! If you don't, then prepare for a long mixing by hand.

We covered the bowl with 2 spoons with sunflower oil and we put it in the fridge for 90 minutes, covered with plastic foil.

Take out the dough from the fridge, mix it by hand just to take out the air, cover the bowl with another tablespoon of sunflower oil and put it back in the fridge for another 2-3 hours . 

Prepare the filling

While the dough rests, clean and crush the walnuts until they are almost a paste.

Add the sugar and the cocoa powder and mix until well incorporated.

Add the cognac and the 2 egg whites and mix. The filling is ready, put it aside for later.

After 2-3 hours in the fridge the dough is ready.

Spread the dough on the table, about 1 cm thick and add the filling, leaving the edges empty.

Roll the dough and put it in the freezer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes in the freezer, take it out and with a sharp knife cut the roll in length in half.

Now weave the two pieces and put it in an oven tray covered with baking paper.

  

Put the tray in a plastic bag or cover it with a plastic foil and let it in the fridge for 8-10 hours.

Prepare the syrup

In a pan, add the sugar, the cognac, the water and the vanilla stick and boil the composition until the sugar is melted and the liquid thickens just a little bit and becomes sticky.

After the 8-10 hours have passed, put a medium pan with water on the fire. When it starts boiling, remove it from the fire and put it in the oven. Take out the dough from the fridge and put it in the oven next with the pot with water and let it rest for 30 minutes. The water vapour spreading in the oven will make your dough rise even more.

After 30 minutes, take out the pan with the water and let the dough bake at 165 Celsius degrees for 50 minutes. We baked it on the lowest shelf of the oven.

When done, take the babka out and let it cool in the tray for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes take it out and put it in a bigger tray. Add the syrup and with a brush bathe the babka on all sides. We did this for a few minutes, but you will still have some syrup left. 

Put the babka back in its tray and let it at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes, then cover it in plastic foil or in a plastic bag and let it at room temperature for another 2-3 hours or over night.

The next day it will be delicious!

Enjoy!

The recipe is taken from here

Homemade walnut cookies - recipe with step-by-step photos

Ingredients for 16 cookies:

• 150 grams of flour
• 110 grams of butter
• 50 grams of sugar
• 50 grams of ground walnuts
• 30 grams of chocolate chips
• 1 egg
• half of a teaspoon with baking powder
• a bit of salt

Mix the butter at room temperature with the sugar, the egg and the salt.

Separately mix the flour with the baking powder and then incorporate it a bit at the time in the batter.

Incorporate the chocolate chips and the ground walnuts.
The dough will be a bit sticky.

Divide the dough in small flat cookies and bake them at 190 Celsius degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Elderflower and lemon cake - recipe with step-by-step photos

Ingredients for the layers (16 cm round):

• 110 grams of wheat flour
• 110 grams of butter
• 3 eggs
• 50 grams of sugar
• 2 teaspoons with elderflower syrup
• zest from 1 lemon
• half of a teaspoon with baking powder
• a bit of salt

Ingredients for the syrup:

• 100 milliliters of elderflower syrup
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 spoon with sugar

Ingredients for the filling:

• 250 grams of mascarpone
• 200 grams of double cream
• 30 grams of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon with elderflower syrup

Prepare the layers:
Beat the butter at room temperature with the lemon zest and the sugar.

Add one entire egg and beat for a minute.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites from the remaining 2 eggs.

Add the egg yolks into the butter composition an beat for another minute.

Beat the egg whites with the salt for a minute and incorporate them in the batter. Beat for another minute .

Mix the flour with the baking powder and then incorporate it a bit at the time into the batter.

In the end add the elderflower syrup and mix.

Pour the composition in a baking pan covered with baking paper and let it bake at 170 Celsius degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Let it cool then cut it in two layers.

Prepare the syrup:
Mix the lemon juice with the elderflower syrup and the sugar until sugar dissolves. Strain if needed.

Prepare the filling:
Beat the double cream with the sugar.

Add the mascarpone cheese and the elderflower syrup and mix until well incorporated. 

Assembling the cake:

On a plate, add one layer. Pour half of the syrup on the entire surface and let it sit for a minute.

Add half of the filling.

Cover the filling with the other layer.

Pour the remaining syrup over the entire surface of the layer and let the cake rest in the fridge for a few hours.

Use the remaining filling to cover the cake.

You can decorate with spring flowers above and your cake is ready.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Apricot, coconut and passion fruit entremet - recipe with step-by-step photos

Ingredients for the chocolate layers:

• 120 grams of dark chocolate
• 70 grams of sugar
• 40 grams of butter
• 4 eggs

Ingredients for the coconut mousse:

• 100 grams of white chocolate
• 100 milliliters of coconut milk
• 100 grams of fresh cream
• 2 grams of gelatin

Ingredients for the passion fruit jelly:

• 6 passion fruits
• 2 spoons with sugar
• 1.5 grams of gelatin

Ingredients for the apricot mousse:

• 350 grams of fresh apricots
• 300 milliliters of yogurt
• 3 spoons with sugar
• 2.5 grams of gelatin
• 2 spoons with water

Ingredients for the glaze:

• 1 mango
• 150 milliliters of water
• 50 grams of chocolate 
• 1 spoon with sugar
• 2 grams of gelatin
• 2 homemade crepe dentelles

First make the passion fruit jelly:
In a pot, add the inside part of the passion fruit and the sugar.
Let it simmer over a slow fire for 5 minutes at slow fire.

Meanwhile hydrate the gelatin sheets in a bowl.

While still warm (not hot) add the hydrated gelatin into the passion fruit and mix until well incorporated.

Pour the jelly in a plate with a round circle (15 diameter) and put it in the fridge.

Now, make the chocolate layers:
Preheat the oven at 180 Celsius degrees.

Chop the chocolate and put it in a pot together with the butter. Melt it at slow fire and let it aside to cool before using it.

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.

Whisk the egg whites with half of the sugar.
Beat the egg yolks with the other half of the sugar.

Add the cooled chocolate in the beaten egg yolks and mix until well incorporated.

Incorporate slowly the whisked egg whites in the chocolate mix.

Divide the composition as follows: one half and two quarters.

Let each of the 3 the layers bake for 5-6 minutes. Put them aside to cool.

Prepare the coconut mousse:
Mix the white chocolate with the coconut milk and put it at slow fire until the chocolate melts.

Meanwhile hydrate the gelatin with a bit of water.
 
While the milk is still warm add the hydrated gelatin and mix until well incorporated. If needed strain the composition.

When the milk composition is cooled, incorporate slowly the beaten fresh cream.

Put it aside until needed.

Prepare the apricot mousse:
Cut the apricots in half, remove the kernel and put them in a pot together with the water and the sugar at slow fire, for 10 minutes or until tender.

Mash the apricots and while still warm add the hydrated gelatin and mix until well incorporated.
Strain the composition and let it cool.

When cooled, add the yogurt and mix until well incorporated.

Assembling the cake:
On a plate, in a round circle, add the big chocolate layer.

Above, add the coconut mousse, then add one of the two thinner chocolate layers and above add the passion fruit jelly.

Add the last thin chocolate layer and above the apricot mousse.

Put the cake in the fridge over night.

The next day, cut the mango in small cubes and put it in a pot together with the sugar and the water.
Let it simmer until tender.

Mash the composition and add the hydrated gelatin. Strain the composition and put it aside to cool.
When it starts getting thicker it means it's ready to use.

Pour the glaze over the cake and remove the extra that poured down on the plate.

We also melted some chocolate and tried to make some nice forms on the cake. You can do whatever you desire or you imagine.

You can also decorate with the crepes dantelles.