Easter preparations

This Easter has arrived so quickly, I hardly noticed and hardly had the time to plan beforehand, so I was just going with the flow, not really having an idea what to bake (me, imagine!). But yesterday settled it and today I started my happy pottering in the kitchen.

Since the lovely Anna sent me a bottle of lemon oil, I have been searching for an occasion to try the lemon cupcakes from Forever Summer and I was craving something lemony this Easter! So cake No. 1 was quickly settled, as the muffins were a breeze to make in the processor. Since I can't get royal icing, which the recipe suggests using and my favourite frosting is cream cheese, I just whipped up a batch of those, using 125g cream cheese, 50g butter and about 4 tbsp icing sugar, and I added some of the lemon oil, a tbsp lemon juice and some zest as well. Mmmmm, so heavenly citrusy! Now I'm thinking of making it as "blondies" in a pan next time, with some lime juice and zest added and the same cream cheese topping. Drooling just at the thought of it...
(Cupcake cases courtesy of Kelly-Jane, aren't they cute? Thanks again!)



I was so desperate yesterday about not having ideas I turned to my hubby for help. Guess what his answer was at the question "What would you like to have?". If you read carefully so far, you'll know it by now: curd cheese. Actually he named this cake but I wasn't giving myself so easily (what about creativity?), so I chose his all time favourite cake, which I've only ever attempted once in our 10 years together: curd cheese squares Rákóczi style. The reason for my not making it is not because it's extremely difficult or fiddly to make. It is simply that I don't like it that much. Or much rather that I can't find a recipe which reminds me of my childhood memories of this cake: soft sponge divided by a thin layer of apricot jam, curd cheese and a huuuuge, sometimes over 7cm(!) layer of marshmallowy soft meringue, sprinkled with chocolate shavings. Mmmmmmmmmm! Whenever I went to the cake shop, I'd ask for this cake, it was made so brilliantly in my hometown.

This recipe doesn't come any close to the above mentioned taste memory either, it is the traditional and home-made version but it did turn out to be the best of the kind I've tasted so far.
I followed the recipe faithfully except that I made 1.5x amount of the dough because it seemed too little for me for my pan and I used 4 extra whites (from the freezer) and proportionately more sugar, because we like a thicker meringue on top. The result: a few hours after the cake has come out of the oven, half of it is missing already. And this time it's not me getting nearer to a broader waistline ;)


In fact, I'm still craving that familiar taste...

The big 3-0!

No, I didn't get 3 years older all of a sudden LOL It is my husband who did. So, as a good wife, I had to make him a cake - preferably one that he likes. And preferably one that I enjoy fiddling with as once in a while I start itching to try something "grand", something challenging. I had mentioned hubby's obsession with cakes and curd cheese it was obvious which direction I should be heading. Criterion No. 1 met. I must admit I cheated with No. 2, though. I used the recipe for raspberry spiral cake which I made for my brother's birthday a year or two ago, and since it was a success I thought of reworking it a bit and adding a twist here and there.
Firstly, I substituted raspberry jam for home-made apricot jam. Secondly, I added two layers of sponge to hold the spiral. And thirdly I fiddled around with the ratio of cream and curd cheese as experience showed the recipe was too generous with it and it had turned out to be overwhelming.

So here's the result of the playing around:

Apricot-curd cheese spiral cake

For the sponge, 2x:
4 eggs, divided
a pinch of salt
4 tbsp cold water
100 g sugar
100 g flour
2 tsp baking powder
70-80 g corn starch

Whisk the four egg whites with a pinch of salt and four tbsp cold water until peaks form. In the meantime add the sugar. Add the egg yolks one by one (use a wooden spoon only), then sift in the flour-baking powder-starch mixture.

Divide the batter in two 26cm springform tins (lined with baking parchment)and bake in preheated oven at 200C for 15-20 minutes (until golden).
Repeat the steps above and line a 35x35 cm baking tray with baking parchment, spread the batter on it and bake in preheated oven at 200C for 10-15 minutes. Turn out on a damp cloth and spread the jam over immediately. Leave to cool completely.

For the filling:

400 g apricot jam (and about 200g for decoration)
18 g gelatine powder (colourless)
500 g curd cheese/ricotta
zest of 1 lemon
120-150g sugar
800 ml double cream

Add the gelatine to cold water and leave to rest.
Mix the curd cheese with the zest the lemon and the sugar. Melt the gelatine, leave it to cool a bit, add 3 tbsp of ricotta mixture, then add it to the rest of the mixture. Beat 400 ml cream and add. Spread this mixture on the square sponge and put it in the fridge for an hour or so until the spread sets.

To assemble the cake spread jam on one of the round sponges thinly and place it on a nice tray. Divide the square sponge in five identical stripes, wind up one stripe and put it on the round sponge. Wind the rest of the stripes around it.

Spread jam on the bottom of the other round sponge and place it on top of the spiral with jammed side down. Put a rim around the cake so that it hold its shape better, and put it in the fridge for at least 7 hours (or overnight).

To decorate the cake beat the rest of the cream with a little icing sugar (to taste)and spread it on the top and side of the cake. Spread the cream in several layers (I did in 3), putting the cake in the fridge in the meantime, this will make sure you get a perfectly smooth, crumbless decoration. I went a bit mad and decorated the top of the cake with cream circles and jam (that is why I needed so much jam) but you can choose any decoration you like :)




The cake went down a treat and the birthday boy was contented. And so much for birthdays until summer!

Cur(d)ious heritage

We Hungarians love curd cheese – in cakes. I know it sounds strange to some foreigners, but believe me, it’s not more bizarre than cheesecakes are to us. Our curd cheese is quite dry and crumbly, with a tinge of sweetness.
Perhaps you’ll wonder no more if I show you the absolute favorite snack of all Hungarians, young or old: Túró Rudi, which is roll shaped curd cheese covered in dark chocolate (at least the original, now you can buy milk chocolate versions, and ones with fruit jellies in the middle, etc. )

As hubby is especially keen on curd cheese cakes, and I just got a lovely book from him which contains a recipe I’ve not heard of before, I thought I’d surprise him with this. The recipe can be found in a book called (roughly) The taste of Székely land. The Székely are a group of Hungarians living in Transylvania, Romania and since my husband’s grandfather comes from there, he’s very interested in everything related to this people.

So here goes the recipe, it is really easy and quick to make:

Curd cheese pie with meringue topping

Ingredients:
2 tbsp sugar
7 tbsp (sunflower) oil
2 eggs
2 tbsp cocoa powder
12g baking powder
1 ½ tsp white wine vinegar
15 tbsp milk
15 tbsp flour

For the filling:
500g curd cheese (or ricotta if that’s what you can find)
4 egg yolks
5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
3 tbsp semolina (more if your cheese is too wet)

For the meringue topping:
4 egg whites
200g sugar

Mix the first five ingredients and the milk in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Put the baking powder in a small bowl and pour over the vinegar and let it start foaming (do not stir but make sure the whole thing is foaming). Add it to the mixture, stir well and add the flour (add more if necessary, you want a muffin-thick batter).

Spread the batter in a 30x20x5 cm baking tray (lined with baking paper). Stir the ingredients for the filling and dollop it over the batter with a spoon.

Bake at 180C for about 30 minutes (or until tester comes out clean). Let cool.

Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until almost stiff and add the sugar while whisking further. Put the bowl over simmering water and continue whisking for about 4-5 minutes. Spread it over the cooled cake, make waves with a fork and replace in the oven and dry at 100C until the top is slightly set.

The result was very pleasing and what shows it more than the beloved husband taking several helpings, which is really unusual for him :)