Almond and Quark Cake

It´s been a while since my last post, and I thought it was the right time to share an easy cake recipe.
The Google+ community foodies+ is celebrating the month of cheese, that's why my recipe features this much beloved ingredient. I also recommend that you check this active community for wonderful recipes from across the globe. 



I had several recipes in mind, and it was really tempting to make another cheesecake, but I didn't succumb to the temptation! Instead, I went for a gluten free cake using almond meal instead of regular flour. The cheese element of the cake comes from the quark cheese, a type of soft creamy and tangy cheese made from soured milk.

The quark cheese went into the cake batter, which helped in making the cake rich and moist. Moreover, the cheese mixed with fresh fruits made the perfect topping for the cake.

For the cake you need; for 6 to 8 servings (20 cm round pan):

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 50 g soft butter
• 130 g quark cheese
• 170 g sugar
• 175 g almond meal
• 10 g corn flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• zest of half lemon or a 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp salt

First combine the dry ingredients (almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, salt and corn flour) and set aside.

In a bowl mix the butter, cheese and sugar. Once combined add the eggs one by one then add the vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk in the dry ingredients until combined. Pour the mixture into the greased and lined pan.

Bake in a preheated oven (150 C) for about 50 minutes. I opted for baking at a a gentle heat because I didn´t want for the cake to puff up and form a dome. You can bake it at 180 C and it will take less time, just keep an eye on it.

Leave the cake to cool.

For the frosting:

• 100 g quark cheese
• 100 g cream cheese
• 50 g butter
• 100 g powdered sugar
• berry coulis (recipe follows)
• 12 tsp vanilla extract

You need to bring the two cheeses and the butter to room temperature before mixing.

First mix the cheese and the butter, and once well combined add the sugar, vanilla and the desired amount of the coulis (I added 25 g).

For the coulis or sauce you need

• 150 g of mixed berries
• 20 g sugar
• 12 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

In a pan mix the berries with the sugar and vanilla, simmer on a gentle heat, once the fruits are tender. Run through a food processor and then sieve. 

Assembly:

Pour half the frosting on top of the cake, right in the middle. Using  the back of a spoon or spatula, spread the frosting leaving a bit of distance from the edge. Decorate with fresh berries.

Serve the cake with extra frosting and coulis if you want.

Enjoy this sweet, tangy, moist, and tasty cake with a cup of coffee or tea.

Zebra Berry Cheesecake!

Last week my friend asked me to bake something for her boyfriend´s birthday. We discussed all the options focusing on a cake with chocolate or one with fruits. Finally, we went for a cake featuring berries. This was a logical option now that the berry season started all over Spain and all sort of fresh berries are readily available. Moreover, I love the taste of berries in cakes and my friend couldn't agree more! 

Instead of a regular cake, like a sponge flavored with a filling of berries, I suggested to my friend to make cheesecake. A cold and creamy cheesecake would be perfect now that summer has officially arrived in Spain and Madrid is slowly heating up. 

I played around with my usual cheesecake recipe, and mixed 2 batters to create a beautiful layered or zebra look. The cake was such a hit that I decided  I deserved one just for myself. I did show some restrain and shared few pieces with my close friends. 

The recipe is simple, I baked it in a 15 cm springform pan to get a high result.  You can use an 18 cm pan or even a 23 one if you want a flatter cake. Always adjust the baking time when you change the size of pan that was used for the recipe. 

For this cheesecake you need:

The base:

• 50 g caramel cookies and 50 g digestive cookies 
• 20 g melted butter 
• 1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar

To prepare the cookies place them in a zip-lock bag and pass a rolling pin over them as many times as you need until you end up with coarsely textured crumbs.  Add the melted butter, sugar  and  mix well. Place the cookie mixture in a springform pan that is greased and covered with parchment paper. Press the mixture to cover the bottom. You can create a rim at the edge of the pan if you want, though I didn't. Bake in a preheated oven (180 C) for 8 to 10 min.  Set aside and cool.

For the cheesecake mix:

• 600 g cream cheese at room temperature
• 3 large eggs at room temperature 
• 120 g Greek yogurt (or thick yogurt, or sour cream)
• 130 g sugar
• 1 tbsp flour 
• 25 g caramelized biscuits spread (Lotus Biscoff)
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or to your liking)
• 1/2 tsp of kirsch (optional)
• 3 to 5 tbsp of berry coulis (recipe follows)

In your mixer bowl, add the cheese and mix on a low speed with the paddle attachment for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the sugar, the Biscoff spread, yogurt, cinnamon and flour and mix again until well blended and no lumps are visible. Add the eggs one by one and keep mixing on a low speed. Finally add the salt, kirsch and vanilla and mix a bit. 

Divide the batter in 2. To one batch, add the berry coulis but don´t add too much or else you will end up with a runny batter. 

To get the zebra effect, add 2 tablespoons of the white batter, then two of the berry batter  and so on. Ever so slightly tap the pan or shake it to flatten the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven (150 to 160 C). 

Usually it's customary to wrap the spring-form pan with aluminum foil and place it in another pan filled with warm water and then bake for the required time that is usually for a pan of this size one hour to one hour and a half (oven-dependent).  This bain-marie method of cooking is needed to bake your cake at a gentler heat to avoid surface cracks.

What I do is different though. I put in the middle layer of the oven a pan and fill it with warm water then place the cheesecake pan over a cookie sheet and put both over the pan. This creates  a steamy environment in my oven and allows the cheesecake to cook all the way through while retaining a smooth creamy texture and most importantly with no surface cracks whatsoever.

After one hour, turn off your oven, shake the tray, make sure the middle is still a bit wiggly and leave the oven door cracked open for another half an hour to an hour. 

Let the cake cool completely before you put it in the fridge overnight. 

For the berry sauce or coulis:

• 300 mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries and I also used cranberries)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• half vanilla pod or 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and let them simmer for few minutes over a flame until the fruits are soft. Mash them well then and pass them through a sieve to get rid of the seeds.

You will have sauce than the cake requires. Use the remaining sauce to cover the top of the cheesecake and decorate as you  wish! 

Now you´re ready to taste a luscious and creamy dessert with the amazing tangy addition of the berries! Everybody will love it, I can guarantee it! 

Check my other cheesecake recipes here and here

Mascarpone and Berry Popsicles

This has been probably the hottest summer ever! August is almost over and I feel this summer just won't end. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and all the things it brings but the scorching heat is not one of them.

I have been dealing with the heat waves with light food, lemonade and popsicles, of course.
These frozen delights are easy to make. One can get really creative and never get bored as there are so many flavors that you can choose from. I shared with you before several popsicle recipes: pink lemonade, bellini or blueberry lemon and lavender. It's time for a new one!

This frozen delight features a rich mascarpone cream combined with a vibrant and tangy mix of red summer berries and fruits. The combination is wonderful, but truth be told it is not as light as the other recipes I made, however, it's really worth the extra calories.

To make 8 popsicles (70 ml approximately each) you need:

• 250 g mascarpone
• simple syrup (recipe follows)
• 250 mixed berries and fruits, fresh or frozen (use your favorites)
• 30 to 50 g sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• half vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Simple syrup:

• 100 ml water
• 75 g sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

First start making the syrup by combining the sugar and water. Mix a bit to dissolve the sugar, then bring it to a simmer on a gentle heat for about 5 minutes. When you start seeing bubbles on the surface add the lemon juice let it simmer for one minute, turn off the heat and let it cool.

While the syrup is cooling, combine the fruits with the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and bring to a gentle simmer. The fruits will be ready when they are shiny and a bit soft. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down.

When everything is at room temperature, mix the simple syrup with the cheese, start filling the molds with both mixtures alternating between the cheese and the fruits. Now you're ready to pop the molds into the freezer for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Enjoy this colorful and full of flavor summer treat while you still can! 

Ruffled Milk Pie, a Greek Classic!

I don´t know about you, but in most of my trips to the supermarket I end up forgetting what I came in for initially and instead buy stuffs that, let's say, were not really needed urgently.

So during my last supermarket adventure, I bought filo pastry because it was just there and I couldn´t resist! I also bought way too many blueberries and raspberries. When I left, I thought to myself, how on earth am I going to consume all of these fruits before they go bad or are no longer in their prime flavor and texture?

In my head I started jumping from one recipe to another in which I would use the fruits and the pastry together, and I finally landed on a pie I saw many years ago while watching a Martha Stewart show. The Galatopita, a typical Greek recipe, was prepared on the show  by Vefa Alexiadou and I loved how simple and beautiful the pie was.

I felt that the pie would lend itself beautifully to berries and so I decided to twist the original recipe a little by omitting the cinnamon and using the excess blueberries and raspberries I had. If you want to stick to the original recipe, by all means do, it is perfect as it is: sweet, crunchy, creamy and with a mild taste of cinnamon.

To make this pie, for an 18 cm pan you need:

• 7 filo sheets
• 50 g melted butter
• 100 g of mixed berries: blueberries and raspberries
• 130 g sugar
• 2 eggs (about 100 g in total)
• 100 ml milk and 100 ml of cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

First you need to generously butter your pan. Then brush a filo dough with the melted butter and place some berries at the longest side of the sheet; I used 3 blueberries and 3 raspberries in each sheet. Roll the sheet to just cover the fruits then gather the rest of the sheet to create the ruffles.

Roll the ruffled sheet into a flower shape and place in the pan. As you work on one sheet of filo, make sure to cover the other sheets with a damp cloth or kitchen towel to prevent them from drying.

Once you have all your filo filled and rolled bake in a preheated oven (180C) for about 25 to
30 min or until the dough is golden brown.

Meanwhile, combine the milk and the cream and let them simmer on a low heat. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla, slowly start adding the hot milk mixture. You need to temper the eggs before adding the rest of the milk and cream mix.

Add the custard mix over the filo and bake in the oven again for another 20 to 25 min or until you see that the mixture is set. If you feel the custard mix is in excess to what the pie needs, reserve the excess and cook separately.

Serve with a dust of powdered sugar and extra fruits. Enjoy the crunchiness of the filo on the top layer, then the tart and fragrant flavor of the fruits and the velvety smooth creaminess of the bottom layer.

What a wonderful Greek pie! I highly recommend you try it, especially if guests are coming over!