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As you now, already know, I’ve arrived in New Zealand last Saturday; pretty jetlagged - to tell the truth - but still immensely happy.
There was just this thing that kept me slightly disappointed.
I had dreamt of beautiful sand beaches and a sun so bright you could hardly see. Well, what I found arriving here was – let’s say – far from my expectations.
Imagine England during autumn. Then you’ve got it: a cloudy, freezing cold weather; nothing less, nothing more.
Not really what you would call summer, wouldn’t you?

Though, today something happened. After the rain - so cold I thought it was snow -, the clouds disappeared leaving place to a harsh and hot sun.
I immediately switched my Converses for KJacques (lovely leather flip flops from St Tropez) and although my feet are now begging for thick wool socks, I can’t help but smile. Smile from happiness: summer is finally here.


Peach, almond and yoghurt cake
adapted from Bill Granger’s simply bill

While I didn’t make this cake today (actually made it last week with the New Zealander summer in mind) it makes a beautiful summer cake.
Think a moist, light yet dense and deliciously scented cake.
Again this cake comes from Bill Granger, who’s now become my reference for no-fuss cakes.
Indeed, I always loved his way to cook and enhance clean, simple flavours; but I seemed to have forgotten him a little - in favour of my ultimate food-hero: Pierre Hermé.
Luckily when I decided to go for a bake-lots-of-cakes day, I stumbled across this and this. The gorgeous pictures and appealing flavours had my name written all over.
I couldn’t resist and I’m glad I didn’t. This day, although exhausting, resulted in two stunning cakes – one that help me face my disgust for the chocolate-orange combination and one that was perfect to turn me on to summer.

The latter is a really straight forward cake that is perfect for breakfast, lunch, tea; or indeed for anytime of the day. A real keeper!
The yoghurt makes for a wonderfully most cake, while the peach and good dose of vanilla provided a subtle and stylish flavour.
And the almonds! What a nice touch: they give both a lovely aroma and a beautiful look.

Labels: cakes of all kind, recipe inside

[Mandarin chocolate cake]

When I was younger – and by younger I mean a lot more younger -, my father who worked at home used to take me to Cannes where we would go to Rohr, a posh salon de thé for tea.

He always had orangettes: candied orange peels dipped in bitter chocolate.
That was the kind of love me, feed me and hug me moments; except that I secretly loathed orangettes.
C’est amer et dégoutant! [it’s bitter and horrid], I would think hard (penser fort).

From then, I happily declined every chocolate/citrus treat I have been offered.
This combination is just not appealing to me. Well, I should say was, because I’m now happily and officially converted.


Gâteau au chocolat et à la mandarine
adapted from Bill Granger’s open kitchen

This cake combines the deep flavour of dark chocolate and the subtle sweetness of mandarin.
I think it works particularly well because mandarin is both fragrant and sweet; definitely not too sharp and it gives a satisfying intensity to the flourless chocolate base.

Serve the cake with mandarin slices to enhance the citrus taste and provide lovely juices.

Labels: cakes of all kind, chocolate, recipe inside

Remember, a few days ago I was wondering about how to use the tons of apricots from my backyard.
I got some lovely ideas from Joycelyn: slow roasted apricots in orange caramel; from Melissa: chilled apricot soup with Muscat and from Estelle: tarte renversée aux abricots et au sucre muscovado.
These recipes sound good for sure, but I didn't have le coup de foudre you need to have when discovering a recipe for the first time.

Then I completely forgot about apricots and decided to just have them fresh from the tree or in a chilled drink.
That's only when I started browsing for a pistachio cake recipe through my cookbooks that I found the best way to use these apricots for a sophisticated dessert – pistachio cake with orange blossom syrup.

The recipe originally calls for fresh figs. But figs aren't available yet here. Though, I was determined to make this cake with or without the figs.

Aren't pistachio and apricots known for being a winner combination? I had find: 1) a recipe to use the apricots I had been stocking and 2) a substitute for the figs.

Pistachio cake with orange blossom syrup
This cake reminds me of lazy afternoon spent on a charming terrace in Rabat, drinking delicious thé à la menthe and tons of homemade patisseries.
The breeze, the sea, the perfumes... are set back in my mind at each bite. These days are one of the best I've had and thus this cake is high-placed on my top-ten favourites.
It's definitely airy and all the flavours go so well together: pistachio, apricot and orange blossom. In one word, the Moroccan essence!

Labels: cakes of all kind, favourites, recipe inside

It all started last Saturday when France won 1-0 against the Brazilian team.
I'm not usually a football lover, but i have to admit i appreciate big events such as the world cup or the euro.
And as the saying goes, if you're going to get wet... you may as well go swimming make a tricolour dessert.
Then from Saturday, ideas started to pop in my head. One thing was clear: it had to be bleu-blanc-rouge [blue-white-red].
Let think...
Blue food? Hum... Ten minutes after = eureka, les blueberries c'est bleu non? [Blueberries are blue, aren't they?]
Red food? Big choice: lots of berries = strawberries, raspberries, red gooseberries, red currant etc.
I started with a blueberry, raspberry and vanilla pannacotta, but i really wanted to make something that resembled the French flag.
Then i remembered a beautiful blueberry layer cake in the 21st issue of Donna Hay Magazine. Though the recipe didn't sound that good.
I had to find a good and simple butter cake.
At that exact moment, Bill (read Granger) came to help me with his delicious butter cake from Sydney Food.
I finally had my French glory cake!

Bluebbery, raspberry and vanilla cake
The cake itself is adapted from Bill Granger's Sydney food. I reduced the the amount of baking powder used because i wanted the cake to be dense.
The icing is made of fresh ricotta mixed with a little fromage blanc or yogurt, icing sugar and vanilla seeds. It goes so well with the dense-almost-almondy cake.
As for the fruit topping use whatever fruits you've got on hand - just remember that tangy fruits like blueberries, raspberries or redcurrant help balancing the lusciousness of the cake + ricotta icing.



Note - this cake offers many possibilities from laid-back after-barbecue cake to posh summer dinner cake.

For the latter one, i reckon using only blueberries gives a sophisticated touche.

Labels: cakes of all kind, recipe inside

I can't even remember the countless hours i spent on the kitchen counter at my grandparents house. I loved to listen to my grandmother while she was cooking.
She always explained me everything in detail: why she should add this or mix that way...
But the part i prefered was the one about 'le gâteau Craque' [the Craque Cake].
This cake was of my biggest food fantasy. I litteraly dreamt about it several times.
Maybe because i had never seen my grandma making it and thus i couldn't know how it looks like, how it taste like.
I know i've said this before, but food you're never eaten can become such a fantasy, a goal to achieve.
Therefore, i tried hard to imagine how the gâteau Craque could be. The only thing i knew about it was its name: gâteau Craque; it sounded so yummy.
Craque is an adjective derived from craquer.
Craquer can mean both to crumble or to fall in love with something/someone. So, when i heard its name, i couldn't help.
My grandmother was teasing me: she would say how good it was, but woudn't give me a clue about its taste or texture.

I recently spent a week at my grandparents'. And when my grandmother asked me if i wanted to make the gâteau craque, the only thing i could answer was YES.
Actually it's a chocolate cake covered with a chocolate-almond meringue icing.

Though, it's not your usual chocolate cake. I was pretty astonished because it contains:
- no butter
- just 50g of flour and 50g of potato starch
The cake itself was very moist and not very sweet, so the meringue icing is a good option.


Gâteau Craque
This is a nice little cake that has a great texture.
Note that it's best served in small portions (hence the 10-12 servings) because of the richness of the luscious icecream.
I think i would have prefered the icing without butter -- but it's personal: i don't like buttercream.

Labels: cakes of all kind, chocolate, recipe inside

It's getting really hot, here in the Côte d'Azur and now all the tourists are gone, it feels so good to go hiking in the mountains to discover beautiful places.
And even better, to lay down in the sun and share a great picnic with some of your friends.



Few weels ago, i was talking about the power of simple food you had as a child and said that, for me, the best cake in the world would be a 'gateau au yaourt'.
This banana and muscovado sugar is no less than a twist on the original yogurt cake.

Banana and muscovado sugar cake
This cake is extra moist yet light. It's very handy and thus makes the perfect picnic cake.
If you want to make the cake ever more moist you could drench it with a syrup made of 1 cup of hot water + 1 cup of icing sugar.
I recommend using very ripe bananas otherwise the banana taste will be too subtle.

Labels: cakes of all kind, recipe inside

Labels: cakes of all kind, chocolate, recipe inside, sweet places

Labels: cakes of all kind, chocolate, cookies, favourites, recipe inside

It is one of my skills to think about Christmas all year round and even more from October. I have been thinking of making this Xmas cake for weeks and weeks, but in Toulouse i don’t have an oven so i had to wait to be back home for the holidays to make it.
This year i decided to celebrate Christmas at my grand-parent’s with all my family. I thought it would be great to get all my relatives together since some haven’t seen each others for years. It’s going to be a great feast. I’ve already prepared the menu and the invitation cards. Can’t wait !

Last year i made a Xmas pudding and had the intention to make a Xmas cake, but sadly i didn’t have the time. So this year i only focus on Xmas cake (especially because i much prefer Xmas cake to pudding – think marzipan and royal icing, cake decoration...).

Since i wanted to spend time with this cake to feed my xmas addiction, i thought it would be fun to make a “step-by-step” recipe with pix for every step.
This xmas cake may not be conventionnal because i used more glacé cherries (yummy), more golden sultanas, no currants, less sultanas, no “usual” candied peels (but delicious orange candied peel), lots of galcé fruits (pears, more cherries, angélique...), but as i can’t remember the quantities i’ll just give you Nigella’s (yes again) ingredient list.

Making the Xmas cake – step by step
for a 23cm cake
700g sultanas (180g approx)
225g raisins
110g currants
110g glacé cherries
110g mixed peel
120ml brandy

225g butter, soft
195g brown sugar
½ tsp lemon zest
4 large eggs
2 tbsp marmelade
350g plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

Labels: cakes of all kind, recipe inside

Yesterday night we have celebrated my little sister 12th birthday. I already had in mind what i wanted to make : a kind of mezze with a dip or two, polpette (meatballs) and blinis with caviar and creme fraiche and for la piece de resistance, i thought a piece montee would be quite impressive.
For the mezze i made :
blinis with caviar - i love my recipe for blinis; they're soft, dense and light at the same time. Just one tip, i always add 2 tbsp of creme fraiche in the batter (for approx. 25 mini blinis).
aubergine, yogurt and mint dip - i used a recipe from the great Nigella's Feast. It's really good. I'll definitely make this again. The pinenuts really adds something
polpette (meat balls) - the recipe is from Feast -again- "aromatic lamb meatballs", but as i don't like lamb i used beef and the result was great. I think this are good with some bitter leaves like cresson alienois.


The piece montee
Actually i had never made choux buns before but i thought it would be easy - just follow the recipe. I had three recipes : one from Feast, another from my chocolate desserts from Pierre Herme and the last from a french pastry book of mine. These three recipes were identic so i used Pierre Herme's. But for my first attempt, i didn't read the recipe till its end: i added the flour off the heat and ended up with a liquid batter; so i put my pan back on the heat while stirring. I got a nice smooth batter. The choux buns were right, but as i thought they weren't i just throw away the excess batter and whipped up another - this time following closely the recipe. But the result was awful; if my buns rose high in the oven they took less than 1 minutes to fall once out of the oven. I was dissapointed. But my dad told me tu ne devrais pas rester sur un echec (you must keep going and try to do another batch); and so i did. I made another batch of buns. OK, my choux buns aren't that high, but they're good. I'll try again when i'll be a little more relaxed.
For the toffee sauce i prefered to make a soft caramel rather than an hard one. I think the toffee-ish side of the caramel brings lusciousness to this already luscious pudding.
Just one more thing : the filling is a simple vanilla creme patissiere.

Labels: cakes of all kind, make a meal of it

I already know what you're thinking : another chocolate cake? Yes but let me tell you the story first. My boyfriend asked me if i could make a cake because he was hungry. He begged for a chocolate cake but i haven't any dark chocolate at home and i wanted to do the thing for either my D or F letter. Sadly i don't have any car today so i can't go shopping for ingredients and have to do with what i've got here : buttermilk (brought back from Charente by my mother), eggs (as usual - see my previous post), sugar, self raising flour, cocoa powder, coca cola... Then i remembered some Nigella's cake from How to be a domestic goddess : Cola Cake; i couldn't do any better so i whipped up the recipe and here it goes.

Tips :
- as i didn't have ordinary flour i used self raising flour
- 30 minutes of baking were enough.
- i didn't have any baking parchment so i only greased my tin with shortening and the cake unmoulded beutifully
- if i don't think of that strange thing that happened : a hole (yes a hole) was there standing at the back of the cake. If anyone has a suggestion i'm open.

Before baking thoughts : this cake is no more than a plain chocolate buttermilk cake with less buttermilk and little cola.
I think you can taste the cola in the batter; it is subtile and add a little something that brings you to wonder what it actually is. Now i can't wait to taste the cook version... 40 minutes to go

While baking thoughts : it seems to be one of those deeply aromatic cakes that fill the house with a delicious chocolate perfume.

Post baking thoughts : the cake is well-risen and looks airy and light - might be the bubbles from the cola? Who knows (i think it's because of the buttermilk factor...).
We ate it warm and it was just delicious.

Labels: cakes of all kind, chocolate

Admit it! You had a banana whithin the last month. Bananas are like apples, they're everyone easy eating fruit. When eating a banana i don't make a mess like the one i make when i eat a peach.
I probably love all the fruits in the world, but a banana is a banana and holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it is because of the mashed bananas my mother used to make for me, or because of the intense creaminess of the fruit, or because you can make just everything you want with a banana : from a luscious cake to a simple caramelised gorgious banana... The list has no end but i hope you understood : I LOVE BANANAS.
Look at the fruit : a moon-shape, a soft velvetiness, a lovely honey colour. What's wrong with all that. Nothing and that is the point. There's nothing about bananas i don't like. Except the white thing (hope you know what i mean since i don't know how to call it) that is under the skin and forms "stripes". But this is easy to remove, so then i just love bananas.
My first banana experience was certainly a plain mashed banana without sugar. Then i grown up and could mash my own banana, what a glory. I started to add a little honey, or brown sugar. And by the time i could use the stove, the first thing i made was a caramelised pan-fried banana. It was just so delicious. From this time i've understood something very crucial : bananas and toffee are a match made in heaven.
I still love bananas (can you count the number of times i've already told you that...think i'm getting old and forget what i've just said). Maybe more than i ever did. I usually have a banana for dessert when i'm at school but i now use bananas iw lots of cakes; i reckon they give extra moisture and extra creaminess. Here i've chosen to make a cake with bananas and toffee-ish taste (provided by another much-loved ingredient of mine : maple syrup). In this case the bananas don't give that extra moisture but a lovely perfume and a great contrast between the airy texture of the sponge and the smooth "fondant" (means melting) of the cooked bananas.

THE RECIPE : BANANA MAPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

50g unsalted butter plus 100g unsalted butter, softened, extra
55g brown sugar
60ml maple syrup
3-4 bananas, sliced in half lengthways
230g caster sugar
4 eggs (fanny : use only 3 if they're large
1 tsp vanilla extract
155g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C. To make the topping, place the butter, brown sugar and maple syrup in a small sauce pan. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the sugar melts and the syrup is rich and golden. Pour the syrup into a 23cm geased or non-stick springform cake tin (fanny : i lined my tin with a double layer of foil and a layer of non-stick baking parchment) and arrange the sliced bananas, cut-side down, over the base of the tin.
To make the cake, place the extra butter and caster sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one a t a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and gently fold through the mixture. Spoon the batter evently over the bananas and caramel and smooth the top with a spatula.
Place the cake in the oven on a baking tray to catch any escaping caramel and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Transfer to a large serving plate. Serve warm with vanilla icecream if desired.

Note on "the mystery of the lost bananas" : as you can see ("can't see" would be more appropriated though) on the picture, the bananas have disappeared. First i though they had melted but then i thought... Bill says to "spoon the batter over the bananas", but my batter was to liquid to spoon. Actually the eggs i used were too large so the batter was thinner and the bananas were "swallowed by the batter". The mystery was resolved. Elementary my dear Watson !!!

Labels: cakes of all kind, recipe inside

Labels: cakes of all kind, chocolate, favourites, recipe inside

OK i agree that the name of the cake is not very appealing but as soon as you taste it all the preconceived ideas you had in mind a minute before disappear.
This cake is at midway between brownies and plain chocolate cake. It's moist and tasty and melts in your mouth.
You definitely can't taste the breadcrumbs in it, they are used to bring an extra moisture that you can't get by using flour.

Breadcrumbs and chocolate cake
serves 8-12

200g butter, soft (at room temperature)
180g caster sugar
200g dark chocolate (52% cocoa), melted
130g fine breadcrumbs
6 eggs, separated
23cm springform mould

icing
100g double cream
200g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the melted chocolate and breadcrumbs and give it a good stir until the mixture is smooth. Mix in the egg yolks.
In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks. Pour 1 cup of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and mix well. Then add the remaining egg whites and fold them into the prepared mixture with a metal spoon.
Bake for 25 minutes or until swkewer comes out clean in the preheated oven. Leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes then unmould and cool on a wire rack for a further hour. Ice with the chocolate ganache (recipe below).

icing
Put the cream and chocolate into a pan over medium heat and mix until you've got a smooth mixture. Remove from the heat and beat for 10 minutes. Ice the cake as desired.

Labels: cakes of all kind, chocolate, recipe inside

I am having a Caribbean Party next week end so i thought i would get into the mood by doing this coconut bread from my beloved Bill Granger.
And i was right, the cooking bread was cooking filled the house with a Caribbean perfume. With each person entering the house i would hear "Hum, it smells so good Fanny, what are you making ?". Actually the bread tasted as good as it smelled. It was a delight, just the perfect coconut bread.
This bread is in factmeant to be eaten for breakfast, but i think it would be just as good for tea.

COCONUT BREAD
Marked "never to be replaced" on the menus at bills, this Jamaican bread is intented to be served with salt-fish relish. Lime marmelade goes well with it, too. Keep slices in the freezer for workdays when you'd rather be in the Caribbean.
makes 8-10 thick slices

2 eggs
300ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 1/2 cups (320g) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup (180g) caster sugar
150g shredded coconut
75g unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly whisl eggs, milk and vanilla together.
Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl, add sugar and oconut, and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre and gradually stir in the egg mixture until just combined. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture is just smooth, being careful not to over-mix (fanny : as i didn't read the entire recipe before starting, i directly sifted the flour into the egg mixture then added the baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and coconut; gave it a good stir then added the melted butter).
Pour into greased and flour 21 x 10 cm loaf tin (fanny : i used a 25 x 8 cm) and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour (fanny : 45 minutes were enough) or until bread is cooked when tested with a skewer.
Leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes, and remove to cool further on a wire rack. Serve in thick slices, toasted, buttered and dusted with icing sugar.

Labels: cakes of all kind, recipe inside