#4: Spiced-up Pumpkin Cake | Mocno doprawione ciacho z dynią

I figured that most of my friends would find it much more convenient if the posts were in their (and mine) mother tongue. So that's that: Pepper Unlimited goes bilingual!

Now, to the point.
As the autumn sets in, the local markets begin to tempt the buyers with the richness of autumnal treasure: Ms. Pumpkin. Big or small, round or flattened, pumpkin is one of my favourite veggies (slash fruits), mostly for its' versatility and sunny colour. It can be turned into soups, main dishes, cakes, jams, cookies, even lamps...! How can you not love to use it in your kitchen?

This cake tastes best hot, in my opinion, so I suggest you eat it straight away or warm it up for breakfast the following day, if you have a microwave on your hands. A cup of good coffee and a piece of this cake guarantees a great beginning to every day.  

So scroll down for the first, but definitely not the last, pumpkin-based recipe on this blog :)

Nie ma się co lansować, trza się dostosować... I zacząć prowadzić tegoż bloga z silnym polskim akcentem, co by zwiększyć jego używalność. Od tej pory będzie 50/50 językowo, żeby przyjemniej się z moich przepisów korzystało, jeśli już ktoś się na to zdecyduje ;) W niedługim czasie powinnam zakutualizować pod tym względem poprzednie przepisy.

Tymczasem zapraszam na słodko-ostre, bardzo aromatyczne, ciacho z dynią - czyli moim ulubionym warzywoowocem. Miłość moją zawdzęcza po pierwsze swojej uniwersalności (Czegóż to nie można z niej zrobić... Może być zupą, drugim daniem, ciastem, ciasteczkiem, przetworem zasłoikowanym i do przezimowania gotowym... lampą nawet może być!), po drugie swojemu słonecznemu kolorowi, kontrastującemu z nawiedzającą nas jesienną pluchą. 

Najlepiej smakuje na ciepło, więc polecam zjeść od razu lub - jeśli ktoś dysponuje mikrofalówką - na drugi  dzień na śniadanie do filiżanki kawy... Naprawdę pycha!

Ingredients:

* 1,5 cup cakeflour

* 1 cup caster sugar

* 4 eggs

* 1/2 cup mixed oils (in my case: grape seed, sunflower, olive oil)

* 1 teaspoon baking powder

* 1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon

* 1 heaped teaspoon dried ginger powder

* 1/2 teaspoon cardamom (or more, if you're a fan of it)

for the topping:

* 300 g pumpkin

* 4 tbs honey

* a pinch of cayenne pepper

* black pepper

Prepare the dough as explained in the "Quick butter-lessplum cake" recipe - the only difference is that you add cinnamon, ginger and cardamom (but no plums).

Cut pumpkin in squares, the heat up the pieces with honey on a frying pan until softened. Sprinkle with cayenne & black pepper. Spread it on the cake base when finished baking. That's all!

Składniki:

* 1,5 szklanki mąki tortowej

* 1 szklanka cukru pudru

* 4 jajka

* 1/2 szklanki oleju (ja użyłam mieszanki oleju z pestek winogron, słonecznikowego i oliwy z oliwek)

* 1 łyżeczka proszku do pieczenia

* 1 czubata łyżeczka cynamonu

* 1 czubata łyżeczka sproszkowanego imbiru

* 1/2 łyżeczki kardamonu (albo więcej, jeśli lubisz jego aromat)

na wierzch ciasta:

* 300 g dyni

* 4 łyżki miodu

* szczypta pieprzu cayenne

* troszeczkę czarnego pieprzu

Spód ciasta przygotuj wg przepisu na Ciasto ze śliwkami - jedyna różnica to dodanie imbiru, cynamonu i kardamonu (i brak śliwek).

Dynię pokrój w drobną kosteczkę, tak żeby objętościowo odpowiadała powierzchni ciasta, w moim przypadku było to ~300g. Podduś z miodem na patelni do zupełnej miękkości, dodaj pieprzu czarnego i cayenne, rozprowadź po cieście. To wszystko :)

Bon appetit!/Smacznego!

#3: Quick butter-less plum cake

I came back home from a yoga workshop a few hours ago, knackered, with a strong resolution of not eating anything more today and just going straight to bed. Unfortunately, my Mom got some gorgeous and tasteful plums today, and I just couldn't help myself but to make a cake with them...

So here's an easy (it has to be, I'm not really good at baking) recipe for a quick, moist, and butter-less plum cake :)

Ingredients:
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup caster sugar (sieved)
* 1 1/2 cup cake flour (sieved)
* 1/2 cup grape seed oil 
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* a few drops of vanilla flavor
* fruits (I used plums, but you can use any other kind that you like, really - bananas, peaches, strawberries... )

To prepare the baking tin:
*some vegetable oil
*a handful of breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius.
Prepare the baking tin: spread the oil and cover it with breadcrumbs. I used a rather small and round baking tin, but  a square and flat one would probably be better. (Caution: the thinner the layer is, the quicker it bakes!)
Wash and cut plums - cutting them into halves should be enough. I was afraid they would sink in the dough, so I cut them into quarters - unnecessarily! The dough is so thick it easily carries fruits on its top. You can cover them in a thin layer of flour if they're very juicy.

Whip up egg whites. In a separate bowl, mix yolks with previously sieved caster sugar. Combine with egg white foam, oil, flour, baking powder and vanilla flavor. Mix well, then pour mass into the tin of choice.
Bake for up to 45 mins (you can start toothpick-checking after half an hour).

That's it! Here's how mine looked before baking:

 And after:

I must admit, it rose more than I expected...  but I'm really happy with the result anyway :)

Smacznego!

Thanks for reading,
M


PS. Please like and share, if you appreciate! :)

#2: Raspberry cupcakes with white chocolate topping

Why, hello there strangers!

Long time no see, eh? I just want y'all to know that I am aware of my hopelessness as far as blogging goes. Some say that awareness is the first and the most important step to self-improvement, so fingers crossed my next post will show up sooner than next year...

Now, to the point.
I'd like to share with you a recipe for raspberry cupcakes. They're very sweet and rich in calories, definitely not something I'm used to making in the kitchen, but shh... You'll forget about the calories after the first bite.

They're a special, gratitude kind of raspberry cupcakes, actually - I made them for the doctors I worked with for the past month to show them my appreciation of the great care they took of me. And for that reason the most important ingredient will be...

Ingredients:
* love (or any other strong positive feeling to stick your mind to for the next hour or two) - it helps the rest of ingredients to combine smoothly and also gives that extra flavor
* 2 eggs (large)
* 200 g unsalted butter (you can use one of those baking margarines instead, I just prefer butter because it's more natural)
* 1 cup caster sugar + some vanillin sugar mixed it (only about 60-80g)
* 5 drops of vanilla aroma
* 2/3 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 cup cake flour
* 1 or 2 cups fresh raspberries

for the topping:
* 200 g white chocolate
* 100 g butter
* 150 g cream
* a handful or more of fine coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare your cupcake tins.

Melt the butter in a microwave or on a stove (don't boil it! you don't want it hot), cool it down a little, then add the sugar and stir so it blends in. Add the aroma, salt and buttermilk. Break the eggs one by one to a separate bowl before you add them to the butter, you don't want to find out they were bad only after you whisked them in... Sieve the flour and the baking powder to prevent clogging, then add it in gradually. At the end, throw in the raspberries and commingle everything gently.

Fill tins with the mass and put them in the oven for approx. 20 mins (time of baking may vary depending on the tins size, and the oven), you can check if they're ready using the toothpick test.

The topping is much different from what you, cupcake lovers, are used to. What I made is a modified version of what my grandma would make layers in birthday cakes with.
Melt the chocolate (in water bath, for example); when done, blend first with the butter (that might require some arm power, be brave!), then with the cream as well. Add as much coconut flakes as you like :)
Apply on the cupcakes when they're room temperature already.

Bon appetit!


Thanks for reading,
M

PS. Ideas culled from nigella.com, completelydelicious.com and other webpages.

#1: Broccoli, asparagus and spinach tart on aromatic olive oil crust

Ingredients


Filling:
* 150g grated mozzarella
* 200g 18% cream
* 5 eggs
* 6 asparagus spears
* 1 big bundle of chives or green onions
* 1 bundle of spinach
* 1 broccoli
* 1 onion
* a little bit of oil to fry the onion
* a few cherry tomatoes
* a handful of sunflower seeds
* spices and herbs: rosemary, thyme, white pepper, salt

Crust:
- 250g flour (preferably whole wheat)
- 1ts salt
- 1ts dried herbs: rosemary and thyme
- 60ml olive oil (preferably extra-virgin, it has that amazing intense flavor)
- 1/2 cup cold water (cups' capacity vary, so just add the water bit by bit until attaining the right consistence)
These proportions should give you enough dough to line a 25-30cm tart pan.

Sieve the flour, combine it with other dry ingredients. Slowly, mix in olive oil and water with a fork or your hand. Knead the dough lightly until it forms a neat ball, then wrap it up in foil and put it into the fridge for a quarter or so.
Preheat your oven to 200C and grease the tart pan lightly. When it's ready, take out the dough and roll it out into a circle of an appropriate size (add some flour underneath the dough and on the rolling pin to prevent sticking), then transfer it carefully onto the pan. Now, before you put it into the oven, prick it with a fork or cover the bottom with baking paper and beans (to be removed after 10mins) so the crust won't get bulgy. Bake for 15-20 mins.

In the meantime, prepare the filling:
Clean the veggies. Rind the asparagus spears, cut the broccoli into small florets, place both in the steamer (or  salty boiling water) for 5 mins tops. You want them neither raw, nor cooked, they should be something in between when you strain them out. Chop the onion and fry it, then add spinach (whole leaves) and wait for it to soften.
(Check on the crust, it should be ready by now)
Cover the crust's bottom with spinach and onion. Chop the green onions/chives, cut the asparagus, combine them with broccoli and lay all this on the spinach. Cut the tomatoes into halves end place them here and there, evenly, in the tart.
Mix most of the cheese you have with the cream, spices, end eggs, then pour it onto the broccoli, tomatoes and so on... Sprinkle everything with the cheese that's remained and the sunflower seeds. Shove the tart into the oven (170C this time) for ~20 mins.

That's all folks! My family loved this tart, and what you should know is that they're usually very fussy about anything meat-free ;)
Let me know how you liked it or if there was anything unclear... And also if you have any suggestions how to improve this recipe or what you'd like me to prepare next :)

Thanks for reading,
M

PS. The original recipes I based on can be found here: crust, filling

Let's get it started!

Those who are friends with me on Facebook know, that I'm reeeeally into cooking. I love it. I love to make food, and to serve it later, and then to uneasily await for an acoustic or facial expression indicating approval.

I never hesitated to spam their News Feeds with my food's photos, but I've never attempted to get a blog where I could publish my recipes...
Why?
1) I don't keep track of them. I experiment, improvise, forget, and... never cook the same thing twice.
2) I've worried that there is no reason for people to read my cooking blog when there are soooo many other blogs owned by tons of better cooks.
3) The point of keeping a blog is to publish posts which will be read. And then commented on. And it can go wrong, people can get critical, or - worse - they can ignore you.
Still, having received encouragement from friends, here I am, posting for the first time... Worst-case scenario,    at least I'll have my recipes noted down!

So, the thing is... I won't bring you to your knees with some super-exotic, expensive, dainty ingredients - I usually can't afford them. But! What I can offer you are yummy, easy-to-make, colorful vegetarian brainchildren of mine, based on whatever I find in the fridge or catches my eye in the market, and what any of you can re-make in your kitchen.

Please, stick around - first recipe TOMORROW! Xx

- M

PS. OMG they just announced a casting for the first edition of MasterChef Poland...