Vanilla wonderland

Happy 1st Advent Sunday to all of you! The Christmas countdown has officially started and as you light one by one the candles of your Advent garland, the Home sweet Bakery will unveil four of its easy Christmas recipes. Cooking in this time of the ear can be quite stressful, so why not spare some time on the dessert without giving up on its taste?

The first recipe is a light vanilla pudding with warm berries, perfect after a big meal because jelly and cream free.

Ingredients:

500 ml. milk

70 gr. sugar

3 eggs

3 tbsp of Maizena

1 fresh vanilla pod

frozen berries

Method:

Beat the eggs with the sugar until foamy, then add the Maizena. Start heating the milk with the vanilla pod and when slightly warm remove the vanilla pod and add the other mixture. Keep stirring being careful not to cook the eggs and when compact let it cool. Put your pudding in a big mould or in various smaller ones and place in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. Take the berries out of the freezer and warm them up with a spoon of sugar. When you have a nice warm sauce put it on top of your pudding.

Enjoy this vanilla wonderland

Martina

Mmmmmmm...mom!

To all mothers of the world and especially to mine I wish a lovely mother´s day! I dedicate to you these crumbles with wild strawberries and vanilla ice-cream; delicate and sweet as you are.

With lots of love

♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥

♥♥

♥

Martina

Spring-evoking-cupcakes

Seriously people what´s going on?

I have put flying bees all over my blog, I have adopted a lovely white bunny named Ludwig to keep me company during the Easter holidays (by the way feel free to feed him carrots, he´ll be happy), and my cursor is a flower. What else am I supposed to do to evoke spring??? Maybe a native American sun dance? Or lodge a complaint to Baldr, Ore, Flora, Surya, or any other divinity who is apparently not doing his/her job? I hope this funny bill will help ;)

The only thing I can come up with right now, whilst looking at the winter wonderland outside  my balcony, is to bake spring-evoking-cupcakes! 

Ingredients:

120 gr. flour

140 gr. sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

a pinch of salt

40 gr. butter

120 ml. milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

mixed berries

For the frosting:

250 gr. icing sugar

80 gr. butter

25 ml. milk

a couple drops of rose extract

pink food colouring

Procedure:

Preheat the oven at 170°C. Put the flour, sugar, baking, powder, salt, and butter un a mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until you get a sandy consistency. Then gradually pour the milk and beat until incorporated. Then add the eggs and continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Spoon the batter into the paper cases until two-thirds full, add the berries, and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Leave the cupcakes to cool and when cold, spoon the frosting on top and decorate.

For the frosting beat the butter, icing sugar, and food colouring until well mixed. Then combine the milk and the rose extract and continue beating until light and fluffy. The longer you beat the lighter it will be and the better it will taste!

Enjoy ✿

Martina

Pistachio dessert variation

The weekend is approaching and so is Easter! Finally I can start bringing colour into the house and... onto the dining table!!! So which better ingredient then pistachio? Green, delicious, versatile, and Sicilian. So here are some tasty ideas for you (I have tried them all already):

To start with here are some pistachio cupcakes with buttercream icing. An easy combination of vanilla cupcakes dough with some pistachio grenadine inside and outside. Crunchy and creamy all at once.

And now pistachio-vanilla pudding with Sicilian "pasta di pistacchio" and pistachio cream. "Pasta di pistacchio" is basically  nothing other than pistachio marzipan and is typically Sicilian.

Third on my list is this lovely pistachio sponge cake with sugar glaze, shortbread bunnies, and candied roses and violets. This cake is not from me, but from the very talented Annalisa, whose cakes and sweets I adore (I will soon write a post about her baking).

Last but not least this amazing pistachio cake with pistachio cream filling and pistachio grenadine. Pistachio cream is soooo good! It is like Nutella but green. To make it yourself is very expensive, so I suggest you buy it; take a look here.

I like baking with pistachios, they are a wonderful (also expensive) ingredient, and I am "jealous" of these recipes, but if I did inspire you and you would like to have the ingredients and steps for the preparation one of these desserts just leave a comment and I will post! Promise!

Enjoy ♥

Martina

CupcakeSubmerged

Hi guys!

I'm sorry I haven't been posting in a while, but I've been overwhelmed with exams, work, love, and... cupcakes! 

I've been literally cupcakeSubmerged!

In the past weeks I have received several orders for birthday parties and this pleases me so much. I have been baking so much, but the happyness and satisfaction of my customers pays back all the stress.

I feel generous today ;) so I'd like to share with you my recipe for basic vanilla cupcakes!

Ingredients:

250 gr. flour

175 gr. sugar

50 gr. butter

2 teaspoons baking powder

a pinch of salt

vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and butter in your mixer and beat until you get a sand consistency. Then add the milk, the vanilla, and the egg and continue beating. Spoon the batter into the paper cases and bake in the oven at 170 degrees C for 20-25 minutes.

Icing:

500 gr. confectioners' sugar

80 gr. sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk

Beat all the ingredients together until you get a light and fluffy cream. The longer the icing is beaten the better it will taste. Cool it for a couple of hours in the fridge before serving..

Enjoy ♥ 

Martina

Ma chere mademoiselle

It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents... le macarons!

Yes that's right, I baked macarons today: vanilla and lemon curd. I unfortunately had no time for chocolate ones since uni has started again... In the past I have tried very many recipes but now I stick to the ones from the book Macarons by Jose Marechal, AT Verlag. It's a very good cook book with delicious recipes, useful tricks and pastry secrets. I promise I'll soon share some of my secret recipes, such as extra dark and crunchy chocolate macarons...slurp!

The ones you see in the pictures will be on sale tomorrow at Doll's Vis-a-Vis! So if you feel like having something sweet, together with a warm coffee or cappuccino, come visit.

Enjoy ♥

Martina