Cake donuts (water frosting)

Here the frosting I invented and tried for my first donuts (recipe in the previous post).

These different types of frosting are easy and quick to prepare.

INGREDIENTS

150gr powdered sugar

water

some tablespoons of fruit juice

some tablespoons of black cherry syrup

some tablespoons of cocoa powder

some tablespoons of cappuccino powder
various kinds of sprinkles

METHOD
In a small bowl, mix some teaspoons of powder (sugar or cocoa or cappuccino, etc.) with some teaspoons of liquid (water or syrup or juice, etc). 
Quantities aren't well-defined, consider that the mixture should be thick as yogurt or even thicker. Try with 7 powder teaspoons (5 of sugar, plus 2 of the other powder you choose) and 3 of liquid, then adjust the quantities.
I made these frostings: powdered sugar+syrup, powdered sugar+juice, powdered sugar+cocoa+water, powdered sugar+powdered cappuccino+water.
Dunk half of the donut into the frosting, then lay it down on a tray and decorate with sprinkles. Let it set.

Next time I will make something more precise! ;-)

Isa

Cake donuts

This pic shows just a little amount of the half hundred donuts I made this weekend for some parties XD I took this recipe from an italian book, Piccola Collana Dolce.

With this recipe, you'll make 10 mega donuts, or 15 of medium size.

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

160gr regular white sugar

550gr plain flour  (a bit more to roll out the dough)

 3 teaspoons baking powder

2 pinches of salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

120ml milk

40gr unsalted butter

peanut oil to fry

METHOD
In a big bowl, beat the eggs with sugar.

In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Melt the butter and add the milk, stir.
A bit at a time, add the dry ingredients and the liquid ones to the egg and the sugar. Mix with the electric beater and then knead.

Cover the dough with a rag and let it rest for about 1 hour.
Using some flour, roll out the dough maintaining a half centimeter thickness.
Cut some discs with a hole in the centre: I simply cut the external circle with a glass, and the internal one with a bottle top.
Move the discs in a flat surface with flour, cover with the rag and let them rest for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in the fryer to 190° and fry the donuts for 2-3 minutes, they will puff up.
Remove them with a perforated spoon and lay them down on paper towel.
The recipe for the frosting is in the next post.

Isa

Lemon cake with greek yogurt

Today I suggest this cake with greek yogurt: it's light, fresh and quick to make.
The more baking powder you use, the softer the cake will be.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs

170gr greek yogurt

120gr soft unsalted butter

250gr regular white sugar

170gr plain flour

170gr potato starch

16gr baking powder

juice of 2 lemons

METHOD

Beat the butter with 125gr of sugar.
Add the egg yolks and continue mixing.

Add the yogurt.
Sift the flour, the baking powder and the potato starch and add them to the mix. Stir.
Add the juice of the lemons.
Beat the egg whites till stiff with the remaining sugar and softly add it to the mixture.

Pour the batter into a baking pan (diameter of 24-27 cm) and bake at 180° for about 60 minutes.

Isa

Red fruit tart

This recipe is perfect for summer and for red fruits lovers! Tasty, light and fresh!
With this recipe, I made two 20x30cm tarts.

INGREDIENTS
QUICK SHORT PASTRY

- plain flour 450gr

- eggs 3

- baking powder 8gr

- regular white sugar 200gr

- lemon zest 1

- soft unsalted butter 140g

- salt 1 pinch

TOP

- strawberries 500gr

- red currants 600gr

- gelatin sheets 16gr

- water 200ml 

- regular white sugar 4 spoons

- wild berries jam (or similar) 250gr

METHOD
Start with the quick short pastry: mix together all the ingredients and knead.
The pastry doesn't need to rest, so roll it out on the baking pans, leaving edges.
Place some wax paper on the pastry and cover it with beans, to cook perfectly the tart.

Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes.

Let it cool and remove wax paper and beans.
Wash the red currants, squeeze 200gr and strain them through a sieve. Add some water to this juice, to obtain 300ml of liquid. Add the gelatin sheets to the juice. Leave for 10 minutes, then heat it for some seconds on the burner, to melt completely the gelatin sheets.

Spread the jam on the quick short pastry and cover with strawberries and red currants previously rinsed.

Pour the juice on all the tart, covering all the fruit.

Chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours and keep it in a cool place.

Isa

Grain cheesecake

I created this cheesecake because I wanted something similar to Kinder Chocolate with Cereals (I love it!)
So I tried and invented this recipe.

This recipe is enough for a 30x40cm baking pan plus 6 muffin pans.

Slice the base before covering with the cream, because it can be a little tough, or use only single serving pans.

This is my temporary recipe (to improve)

INGREDIENTS

BASE

- mars bars 5

- unsalted butter 20gr

- puffed rice 35gr

- puffed kamut 35gr

CREAM

- mascarpone cheese 250gr

- philadelphia cheese 150gr

- regular white sugar 80gr

- gelatin sheets 8gr

- bitter chocolate 150gr

- white chocolate 150gr

- double cream (to whip) 250ml

METHOD
Melt the mars bars and the butter with a bain marie method. Then mix with the puffed rice and kamut.

Spread the mixture on your pans (it will be the base).

Put it in the fridge for almost half an hour.

Stir mascarpone, philadelphia and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Soak the gelatin sheets for about ten minutes, then squeeze them and melt them in a small pot. Add the gelatine to the cream and then equally divide the mixture in two different bowls.
Melt the bitter chocolate in the microwave oven and then add it to one of the two halves, then repeat with the white one.
Whip the double cream and equally add it in the two mixtures, stirring gently.

Spread the dark and the white cream on the grain base creating two layers.
Chill it in the fridge for almost two hours.
Let me know if you liked it and if you have any suggestions! ;-)

Isa

Tangerine loaf cake

Since I still had some tangerines left and I had my loaf pan with me, I tried to bake this tangerine loaf cake.
This batter is enough to bake a loaf cake plus some muffins.
It smelled delicious and it seems they liked it :)

INGREDIENTS

180 gr plain flour
150 gr regular white sugar
zest of 3 tangerines (grated)
juice of 6 tangerines
100 gr unsalted butter
16 gr baking powder

METHOD

Melt the butter in the microwave oven and let it cool down.

Add the eggs, the tangerine juice and stir.

In a different bowl, mix together the baking powder, flour and tangerine zest.

Using a whisk, gradually combine all the dry ingredients with the wet ones.

Bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes.

Isa