Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie with Coconut Crumble Topping

As rhubarb has a short seasonal availability and it's not the easiest ingredient to find in Madrid, so whenever it's around, I incorporate it in all sort of recipes. Today's pie is an example of such recipes.
  
Strawberry and rhubarb are a beautiful flavor combination, but  add coconut to the mix and you get something really special.  It´s the first time I try this combination and it surely won´t be the last. It's such a winning combo! Trust me on that, try it and you won't be disappointed. 

This rhubarb and strawberry pie has a flaky yet crunchy crust, a sweet and soft filling with a crumbly coconut topping. Did I convince you? If so, these are the steps you need to make this lovely pie.

For the crust you need: (22 cm pan)

• 200 g pastry flour
• 115 g butter
• 50 g sugar
• 35 to 45 ml vodka or kirsch
• dash of salt 

In the food processor, mix flour, sugar and salt, pulse for few seconds to combine, add the butter and pulse a few times to get a sandy mixture. Slowly add the vodka or kirsch; one tablespoon at first then one teaspoon at a time. Each flour has a different absorption capacity, so be careful to avoid having a soggy dough.

Once the dough forms a ball, drop the mixture on the working surface and gather it. Do not over work the dough. Wrap in plastic and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

Once you´re ready to bake, flatten and roll the dough on a floured surface to about half a cm thick and place it in the pie dish. Prick the dough with a fork, cover with baking paper, put some weight over it (beans, rice or ceramic pearls) and blind bake for 10 to 15 min in a preheated oven (180 C). 

Set aside to cool.

For the filling:

• 3 tbsp of raspberry and rhubarb jam (or any strawberry jam)
• 125g sliced strawberies
• 125g sliced rhubarb
• 50 g sugar (or adjust to your liking)
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• seeds of half a vanilla bean 
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients but the jam and leave to macerate for at least 20 minutes. 

For the streusel topping:

• 25 g cold butter cut into small cubes
• 25 g sugar
• 50 g pastry or all purpose flour
• dash of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50 g desiccated coconut                                                                                                                  

Combine the sugar, flour, salt and butter using a dough blender or your fingertips. Work quickly as you don´t want to melt the butter. Once you have a sandy mixture add the coconut flakes and vanilla and mix to combine.

Assembly:

Spread the jam over the baked and cooled dough. Add the strawberry and rhubarb mixture (discard the excess liquid) then evenly sprinkle the streusel on top. You can add some extra shaved coconut if you wish.

Bake in a preheated oven (180 C) until the top is golden brown. Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle some powdered sugar for an extra nice touch, although not necessary. Serve while still  warm with vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche, some jam and slices of fresh strawberries. 

The combination of these flavors is spot on and will satisfy any pie lover.

Blueberry, Lemon and Coconut Cake

Five years have passed by since I started blogging. This blog has certainly kept me busy and distracted from all of life's stresses and hard times. Whenever I need an escape to a more peaceful and calmer world, I run to my little kitchen and start mixing, kneading, shaping and decorating. Time flies when you are doing something you love and you just enjoy every single moment!

To celebrate the blog's fifth year anniversary and all the beautiful moments it helped me to live, I decided to make a simple, easy, yet delicious cake with vibrant, fresh and summery flavors.

I´m not revealing any secret when I say that I´m obsessed with berries, all kind of summer berries, and I just love to eat them fresh or use them in my baked recipes. Blueberries were my choice for this cake and I married their flavor with that of lemons and coconuts. Trust me when I tell you, the result was amazing! Give this cake a try and you won't be sorry!

Now for the sponge you need for five 15 cm in diameter pans:

• 5 eggs (at room temperature)
• 150 g sugar
• 150 g cake flour
• dash of salt
• 60 g melted butter
• Zest of 2 big lemons
• 1 tsp of kirsh (optional)
• 50 g shredded coconut

Combine sugar, eggs, lemon zest, kirsh and salt and start whisking at low speed and then start increasing until you get to the highest one; beat for at least 5 minutes. The mixture should triple in volume, become very pale in color and with a cloud-like texture.

Add the flour and the coconut. Mix gently with a spatula until everything is incorporated. Finally, add the butter and mix slowly.

Pour the batter in the greased and lined pans.
If you don´t have 5 pans of the same size, pour the batter into 2 pans and then once baked slice your cakes. Be careful that the baking time will vary as you change the size of the pans.

Bake the cake in a preheated oven (160 C) for about 18-20 minutes. Leave the cakes to cool for 5 minutes in the pan then unmold and transfer them to a cooling rack.

For the blueberry sauce:

• 250 g fresh or frozen blueberries
• 125 g sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• half vanilla pod

Combine everything and cook the berries for about 15 min, on a very gentle heat. If the sauce is too runny, just scoop out some of the liquid, but reserve to serve with the cake.

For the frosting:

• 150 g soft butter
• 50 g cream cheese or mascarpone
• 100 to 150 powder sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Combine butter, cheese and sugar and beat until  fluffy and pale, add the lemon juice and beat for few seconds.

To assemble:

Place a bit of the frosting on the cake board and then place the first layer. Pipe some of the frosting on the cake and spread with a spatula to cover the whole layer then pipe a small circle round the edge.In the middle of the cake layer add a tbsp or 2 of the blueberry sauce and then top with another layer. Repeat until you have covered all the layers,

Add some frosting on the top and edges, smooth with a scraper then decorate as you wish. I covered the top with fresh plump blueberries and multi-colored pansies and added some petals and flowers on the sides too.

Do make this cake and enjoy its light and summery flavors.

From now and until the sixth year blog anniversary keep on baking!

Coconut and Lemon Madeleines!

I, like so many people out there, thrive on daily cocktails of little rituals. They form part of my life and I wouldn't give up on them for anything. Morning starts with a cup of cup sipped while watching the news and the afternoon is coffee time again but with a sweet nibble like a cake or a cookie!

When I have the time, I like to indulge and treat myself with layered cakes, stuffed with creams with countless flavor combinations. However, time is precious and not always available. Short on time, I look for simple yet delicious cakes that need no extra cream or filling to sing!

Madeleines de Commercy are one of those recipes that I think everyone should have in their repertoire. While they have a reputation of being hard to master, they are in fact easy. Of course, like all French desserts, you need to respect a certain protocol, but once you do that, the result will always be in your favor. Madeleines are also a good dessert to prepare ahead of time as you can prepare the batter up to one day in advance.

These little buttery cakes were first made in 1755 by a young girl named Madeleine.
King Stanilas of Lorraine was holding a lunch with guests when he knew that his pastry chef left after an argument. As a royal lunch would not be complete without a dessert, something was needed to be done.  The King's butler went on to it and found the right dessert. Cakes of a new and unusual shape, nice golden color, and a rich and deep flavor. The cakes were an instant hit and the king asked to know who was the genius behind the cake. The king was presented with a shy young girl. He then asked her about the name of the dessert. The girl said they didn't have a name and that this is what we usually bake at la "Commercy". The king asked the girl about her name and she replied" Madeline". The king then said "well then, we will call them after you" Madeline.

And after a bit of history let´s make these wonders with a little twist!

For 12 Madeleines you need:

• 1 egg at room temperature
• 50 g sugar
• 50 g pastry flour
• 25 g shredded coconut
• zest of half lemon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• dash of salt
• 4 g baking powder
• 70 g butter

First, put the butter in a saucepan and let it melt on a gentle flame, leave until it browns a bit and a wonderful nutty flavor fills your kitchen. Add the lemon zest and set aside.

In a bowl, mix the egg, vanilla and the sugar until it dissolves. Add the flour, salt, coconut, and baking powder. Mix until well combined and add the butter and the lemon.

Cover the batter and place it in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight for better combination of flavors!

When ready to bake, grease the Madeleine mold, cover with flour and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. You can also do that step the night before!

Preheat the oven to 210 C, fill 2/3 of the mold to leave space for the cake to rise, place in the oven, and reduce the temperature to 170 C. The Madeleines should be done in 10 minutes.  The typical Madeleine bump will form and the edges will turn golden. Your cakes are done!

These cakes are better consumed the same day and they are so good dipped in a cup of coffee or to be enjoyed with tea or hot chocolate.

Vegan Strawberry Galette!

Despite all my sugary excesses I do try to make an effort to eat healthier. Recently I started adding super foods in my daily meals, like hemp seeds, cocoa nibs, and maca among others.

I´m not a vegan nor a vegetarian person, however I´m not a meat enthusiast either. Actually, I do remember, along with my siblings, asking mom to remove meat from many traditional dishes, and we were always happy with the result. Moreover, our Eastern Mediterranean diet features many scrumptious dishes that are entirely based on vegetables; that's why I have a natural penchant for vegetables, herbs and spices and could go through many days without eating a single piece of meat.

Though I won't become a vegan anytime soon, I am enjoying making vegan desserts knowing how hard it can be to give up on dairy products in baking. During the lent season, I challenged myself to have daily vegan meals and few desserts to keep me going. I was more than satisfied with the results. Vegan meals shouldn't compromise on taste but just be really healthy, comforting and delicious in equal measures.

One of my earlier vegan baking attempts was a vegan carrot cake in which I just needed to substitute the eggs with something else. However, with cakes that demand butter or for shortcrust pastry, things get a little bit trickier as butter substitutes rarely deliver in both texture and flavor. Luckily, a German shop selling premium quality coconut butter close to where I live. Now I no longer had an excuse not to make a vegan pie or galette!

Though I went with strawberries for the filling, you can use any fruit you like. It's strawberries season now and the fruits are at their prime so it was a natural choice for me.

Working with coconut butter is a new thing for me, therefore, I am confident that with time I will get better results. The dough was a bit tricky to handle, especially when cold, however, it tasted great and had the crumbly texture that I wanted.

I made two galettes, a big and a small one. I varied the fillings slightly between the two, but kept both really simple.

Now let's bake, vegan style!
For the crust you need:

• 300 g flour (I used cake flour)
• 165 g cold coconut butter 
• 30 g sugar
• ice cold kirsh, vodka or just water (about 4 to 5 tbsp)
• dash of salt

Combine all ingredients but the liquid, and process for few seconds, when you get a sandy texture start adding the liquid, one tbsp at a time, once you see the dough coming together, stop your processor. Now, line a clean working surface with cling film (or aluminum foil if you prefer), remove the dough from the food processor onto the cling film. Work the dough slightly with your hands so it comes together and shape it into a disk. 

Cover it with the cling film and place it in the fridge for at least an hour. It is better if you prepare the dough one day ahead, which is what I usually do.

The amount of water that you will add depends on the quality of the flour and the water contained in the butter. Don't be tempted to put more water as the dough might seem dry at first, but when it rests in the fridge, it comes together nicely and the butter is absorbed  by the flour.

Remove the pie dough from the fridge 20 to 25 min before you start working with it. I divided the dough into 2 parts,  With the big portion I got a 23 cm disk (6 mm thick) and with the smaller one a 15 cm disk.

For the filling: big galette

• Strawberries (the quantity depends on how you arrange them and to which thickness)
• 1 to 2 tbsp sour cherry jam
• lilac sugar (or vanilla sugar)

Spread the jam in the middle of the dough, leaving 3 cm from the edge and then arrange the strawberries. Fold the edges of the dough and sprinkle with sugar. You can brush the edges with vegan milk or cream.

        Small galette:

• strawberries
• 1 tbsp apple butter
• 1 tbsp ground almond
• cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle

Mix apple butter and almond and the spread in the middle of the dough, again leaving about 3 cm free. Arrange the strawberries, fold the edges, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake the galettes, in a preheated oven (180C) for about 20 to 25 min, or until edges are golden.

Once the galettes are cooled a bit, give them a shower of powdered sugar and serve with the ice cream of your choice, preferably vegan but a regular ice cream would do. 

Enjoy!

Easy Vegan Homemade Granola!

I have said it before in several of my posts: breakfast was, is and will always be my favorite meal of the day. I have to admit that sometimes it becomes an obsession as I start thinking of tomorrow´s breakfast while preparing today's!

From heavy, calorie-loaded and greasy breakfasts to really light and healthy options. Healthy does not mean stale and boring in my book. Healthy meals can and should be utterly delicious, I mean think about it, how can a meal be delicious if you need to force yourself to eat it.

Speaking of healthy food, homemade granola is not only tasty but also full of essential nutrients, fiber and iron from oats  and essential fats thanks to all the nuts it has. When you make it at home you can control the amount of sugar to cut down the calories.

Oats are always present in my pantry along with nuts and many vegan butters, so when I´m craving for a good snack I make me some granola. As a bonus, the house smells wonderful whenever I bake granola.

Here´s my easy and vegan granola recipe:
         Dry ingredients:

• 150 g whole grain flat oats
• 115 g raw mixed nuts (I used 40 g almonds and the rest was a mix of walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and cashews)
• 15 g brown sugar
• 30 g grated coconuts
• 20 g dried cranberries
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

       Wet ingredients

• 30 g apple butter (preferably homemade)
• 30 maple syrup (or honey)
• 15 g melted coconut oil (or an other vegetable oil)
• 15 g of tahini (sesame paste)
• 15 g of peanut butter (you can substitute the tahini for an additional 15 of peanut butter)
• 1 to 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract

First start by preheating your oven to 150 C.

In a big bowl combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients (you may need to start with the peanut butter and heat it a bit in the microwave) and now all you need is to coat the dry ingredients with the wet ones.

On a tray covered with parchment paper, spread the granola into a thin layer and bake for about 40 min, making sure to mix every 10 to 15 min as the edges tend to dry before the center. 

Once they are all golden brown, take them out of the oven and let them cool. Fill the granola in a glass jar and enjoy. It keeps well for about a week or so!

I usually have granola with some yogurt and fruits, but I've had them with coffee, mixed with unsweetened cream, as a crunchy topping to vanilla ice cream scoops...The options are endless, so be creative and enjoy delicious and nutritious homemade vegan granola. 

Coco-choco cupcakes!

Dark, fudgy and sweet

The weather is still acting up here in Madrid, from a hot weekend to a cloudy and cold one. I haven´t had any vacation time for more than 6 months, and I still have to wait a bit. I am really longing for long days on the beach doing nothing and just enjoy everything that the seaside offers. So until then, I have to keep myself busy and indulge myself every now an then with a sweet treat, until I can finally escape the hectic city life.
We all know how uplifting chocolate can be, so I wanted to do a dessert with chocolate but flavored with an ingredient that denotes warmth, sandy beaches and vacation times, and what better than coconut to deliver just that.

The batter will make around 7 cupcakes

Of course, the recipe I developed is easy and relies on ingredients you are most likely to have in your pantry. To complement the cupcakes, the frosting was also a breeze to make.
The end result of my work: fugdy coco-choco cupcakes with a pronounced chocolate flavor that goes so well with the refreshing taste of coconuts. The perfect dessert after a long and hard day at work.

Now let´s see what you need for these cute and delicious cupcakes!

Baked and waiting to be frosted

For the batter you need: (makes 7)

• 1 egg
• 60 g  flour
• 10 g cocoa powder
• 70 g soft butter
• 65 g vanilla sugar
• 3 g baking powder
• dash of salt
• 30 g melted and cooled chocolate
• 70 ml coconut milk
• 3 to 4 tbsp shredded coconut and lightly toasted (if you wish more intense flavor)
• tsp of coffee liquor (or just use vanilla essence)

Combine the dry ingredients and sift them. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, once well combined add the egg with the liquor, mix till well blended. Add the chocolate and mix again, when all combined, turn off the mixer, add the flour and fold into the batter. Add the coconut then the coconut milk. 

Fill the cupcakes cases about half way, pop them in a preheated oven (180C) and bake for about 20 minutes. 

Chocolate and butter frosting:

• 100 g condensed milk
• 100 g soft butter
• 20 to 40 g sifted cocoa powder (depends on how chocolaty you want the frosting)
• 20 g coconut cream (it´s the cream you find when you open the can of the coconut milk)

Be generous with the frosting

This recipe has been used by my family for as long as I can remember using frosting on cakes and Christmas logs, it is so easy to make and delicious. You just need to combine the milk, butter and coconut and mix until well combined, start adding the cocoa powder, mix well until you have a fluffy mixture. Leave it in the fridge for about half an hour before using.

Decorate with few coconut shavings

Now you can frost your cooled cupcakes, I added freshly shaved coconut to decorate and add more flavor. Enjoy!

Enjoy these cupcakes in any weather and any time