A savoury-sweet tangy delight and swirly cloud of delicious flavours. Pavlovas are delicious anytime and a popular Christmas dessert in Australia and New Zealand. The base is very simple and fast to whip up if you follow a few basic steps. Yay! For this […]
All posts filed under: Special everyday cakes and treats
Pomegranate and passion fruit yoghurt pavlova
I once committed a pàtisserie faux pas, in other words a mistake but it sounds better in French. I made some meringue nests and posted them as pavlovas!!! Oh dear. Months later I realised the error of my ways: pavlovas look like meringues and also […]
Pomegranate red velvet cake
Red velvet cake has become hugely popular not only in its homeland, the U.S.A. but also in Europe. To be honest I wasn’t sure about this cake and had heard positive and negative reviews … but I love it! The red colour’s created not only […]
Chocolate, chestnut mousse and spiced apples verrines
There’s a trend in French patisserie for ´deconstructed desserts´ where the elements have been pulled apart and reorganized differently. And so my log cake was broken down, with the chocolate cider sponge and chestnut purée magically reappearing in some little verrines, layers of different textures […]
Savoury goats’ cheese macarons with fig, walnut and black sesame!
Well these are as savoury as a dessert with macaron shells of sugar, ground almonds and egg white can be! They were created in response to a Daring Kitchen macaron challenge. I’d made Italian meringue macaron shells many times so challenged myself to create an […]
Slightly healthier coffee and walnut cake with carrot recipe!
A naughty cake made slightly healthier! It’s that all-time British classic, a coffee and walnut sponge with the surprise addition of carrot! It’s moist, delicious, the walnut pieces offer a satisfying little crunch, the coffee a nice little hit, and the icing melts in your […]
Sweet potato, cranberry and walnut cupcakes recipe – for Halloween and la Castanyada! :)
La Casta… what? Well here in Barcelona Halloween is becoming more popular but to celebrate October 31st in true Catalan tradition you have la Castanyada, ‘Chestnut time’. I’ll tell you more about this celebration next week but it involves eating chestnuts, panellets (almond paste treats) […]
Traditional British Christmas fruitcake recipe with ginger! Aka climbing cake… :)
Perhaps it’s a little early to be singing ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’ but it’s definitely time to start planning our Christmas fruitcakes! As I explained to my very surprised Catalan climbing friends in January, it’s actually normal in Britain to store this cake […]
Citrus cotton soft Japanese cheesecake and the Uncle Tetsu phenomemon!
Who’s Uncle Tetsu? Part of an incredible Japanese cheesecake phenomenon that has customers waiting up to an hour or more for one of his delicious treats! We’ll look at an article and some videos about this later. But no need to join the line dear […]
Salted caramel and milk chocolate mousse tart with low-gluten pastry! And the great Mr Aoki!
Another creation from my ‘partially-healthy’ series. Ahem. Buttery, crumbly and delicious low-gluten pastry perfectly complements the heavenly salted caramel and milk chocolate mousse. The steps are surprisingly short and simple from minimalist Sadaharu Aoki, famous in Japan and considered one of the great pâtissiers in […]
Salted caramel choux buns recipe and the marvellous Michalak (who?)
Would you like a little choux bun filled with delicious creamy salted caramel? Of course you would. Go on, just one or two. Tested on various friends, including one with slight intolerance to both gluten and dairy products yet even she could not resist and […]
Jamaican ginger cupcakes recipe with lemon swiss meringue buttercream frosting
These are little cakes with a kick and health benefits, upping your daily intake of ginger. In the article Ginger is a Great Medicine it also says many consider Jamaican ginger to be the best in the world! Did not know that. At school my […]
Ispahan raspberry, rose and lychee cupcakes recipe
Cupcakes (and cake pops of course) are my nemeses. Before these I’d never made truly fluffy cupcakes but knew I’d eventually whisk into battle again. And tada! These cupcakes are light, moist and topped with yummy swirls of swiss buttercream. With the magic Ispahan raspberry, […]
Pink grapefruit and kirsch savarin recipe, refined sugar-free!
Once baked and golden brown allow the savarins to cool at least half an hour before the next stage. Last week on the phone mum said she’d like a rum baba for her birthday cake next month. I guess they’ll always be considered as treats […]
Healthier blueberry and pine nut tart recipe with a low-gluten pastry experiment!
Have you ever missed a beloved pie or tart then considered ‘revisiting’ it to take your creation up a notch or two? Time to head for the kitchen lab to experiment! I had an urge to make a berry tart discovered earlier this year but […]
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