Celine is baking Lingonberry Cake...

This recipe is from "The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg".

It yields 2 cakes, 680 gr each.

Preheat your oven to 375F*.

You will need 2 rectangular fluted cake pans, but Celine used a regular one.

Melted butter and bread crumbs + almond meal mix for the pans .

Brush melted butter inside the pans then coat to pans with bread crumb mix. (put 3 Tbsp grounded almond and 3 Tbsp bread crumbs in a small Ziploc bag , shake well to make this mix. )

• 8 oz-225 gr Lingonberry jam


• 6 oz -170gr walnuts (or pecan)

Chop the walnuts to raisin size pieces and toast them lightly then let them cool down.

Beat together :

• 9oz-255 gr granulated sugar


• 1 tsp salt


• 4oz-115 gr unsalted butter @ room temperature

in a standing mixer for few minutes until well combined.

Sift together:

• 8oz-225 gr cake flour


• 1 tsp ground cardamom


• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg


• 1/2 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 tsp baking soda

In an other bowl combine:

• 3 eggs


• 1/2 cup double cream


• 1/2 cup buttermilk ( all 3 need to be @ room temperature)

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in 2 addition, alternating with the cream mixture. Mix at medium speed 3-4 min. Stir the walnuts and the jam into the batter. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.

bake @ 375F* for 35 min. When its done unmold immediately and let the cakes cool.

You can store the cakes, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Lemon bites

Celine was in a baking mood, I was almost crawling on the floor with lower back pain. But she made "the sad puppy face",and my hubby said he would help, so how could I say no!
I told them to use the ready pack, Victorian sponge cake mix from the cupboard. And I would be supervising the rest...
Part 1:
So all you need two boxes of sponge cake mix, and fallow the direction from the box.
I had 29p Asda Victorian Sponge Cake, and it did the job well.


While they were fallowing the instruction from the box, I've asked them to make limoncello syrup:
Part 2:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup limoncello
Mix the water & sugar in a sauce pan and let it boil over a medium heat, remove from the heat and let it cool while you are baking the cake, once the syrup is cool add limoncello.






Part 3:
Lemon Swiss meringue buttercream
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
250 gr unsalted butter, @ room temperature
1 Tbsp clear vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
You will need double boiler ( bain marie), combine egg whites and sugar over double boiler, place a candy thermometer and whisk constantly till temperature reaches to 150F.
Remove from the heat , whisk it till its cool to your touch and stiff (like marshmallow melt). Change the whisk to paddle and add butter small amount at a time, ( I really like to use standing mixer), once you add all the butter and it becomes to the consistency you desire add the lemon juice and vanilla.

Part 4 :

Lemon curd

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup double cream

1 cup fresh lemon juiced, strained

1/4 tsp salt


6 eggs whisked to loosen up the yolks & whites.


1 Tbsp lemon zest, finely grated

In a medium size sauce pan, mix first 5 ingredients all together and cook it over low heat, once sugar is dissolved and it started to boil, temper hot lemon mixture into eggs. Add mixture back into sauce pan and continue to cook while stirring constantly until it becomes like a thick custard.

Strain, add zest and cool over an ice bath. Then refrigerate until you need to use.
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Part 5 :
Pour Fondant icing
3 cups confectionery sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 drop of yellow food coloring


Place them all ( except food coloring) over double boiler. Heat til sugar is dissolved and the mixture is lukewarm, stir in the coloring one drop at the time, till you get the color you like. You have to ladle over the cake bites while it is still warm. So make sure you assemble the cake before this step.



Assembling the cake:
After cake is completely cooled, horizontally slice in half with serrated knife.

Use a pastry brush to brush limoncello syrup over the cake first, then spread Swiss meringue with a spatula , fallowed by chilled lemon curd, place the second layer of the cake, and apply the limoncello syrup with brush again.

Slice the cake with a sharp knife 2,5 cm X 2,5 cm mini squares, carefully lift them up and place them on a cookie sheet or parchment paper, you can ladle small amount of pour fondant (icing) over, and decorate them with candied lemon slice or fresh lemon peels.

French Buttercream Icing

2/3 cup / granulated sugar

1/4 cup / 60 gr plain flour

3/4 cup whole milk

1 cup/ 250 gr unsalted butter - cold

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

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In a saucepan, place the milk , flour, salt and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Turn the heat on, while stirring constantly,cook until it becomes a very thick pudding. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Cut the butter in pieces.

Place the pudding in a bowl, add small pieces of butter one at a time, beat with a hand mixer ( in medium to high speed) until it becomes smooth. At this point you can add vanilla, any other flavoring or food coloring if you like.

Note : You should chill icing at least 10 min. before decorating your cake and cake needs to be completely cooled and iced cake must be refrigerated until serving time.

Candied Orange & Lemon Slices

3 lemons ,

3 small oranges

3 cups sugar

1 cup water
1 cup sugar for rolling

Slice lemons and oranges very thin. I like using mandoline slicer. Remove any seeds.
Place slices in a large saucepan ( you can use one for lemons one for oranges, but I combined them together )and cover with cold water. Heat on high until water comes to a boil. Pour off the water. Repeat twice or more. This gets rid of the bitterness.

Combine sugar and water in the saucepan and bring to boil over high heat, use a candy thermometer, boil until temperature reaches 230F.

Add slices and reduce heat to simmer.

Simmer until slices are translucent (35 minutes or longer).

Remove slices from syrup and roll in sugar if you like, and set on rack to dry for several hours. Once they are dry, you can dip in tempered dark chocolate or use as it is , shake off excess, and place on wax paper or cooling rack to dry.

Store in a Tupperware, or if not chocolate dipped, store in sugar.

German Cake ( Alman Pastasi)

For the cake :

Part 1.

1/2 cup custard sugar

1 1/2 cups cake flour ( I used self-raising sponge cake flour)

1/2 tsp bi carbonated powder

1/4 tsp salt

Part 2.

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Part 3.

3 Eggs Whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

For the custard:

2 egg yolk

2 1/2 cups whole milk

4 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp plain flour

1 Tbsp cornflour

1Tbsp rice flour

50 gr unsalted butter

2 Tbsp confectionery powder

1 fresh banana, mushed

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Pre heat your oven to 180*C/ 160*C fan forced. Line a 10'' or 25cm round baking tin with parchment paper.

Mix and sift twice Part 1 ingredients and set at a side.

Mix Part 2 ingredients and whisk it till well combined, and pale in color & fluffy.

For Part 3 ingredients, use standing mixer, place the egg whites in the bowl first, turn on the mixer, start from low to medium speed, when it is frothy add cream of tartar, increase the speed higher. When the whites getting to soft peek add the sugar gradually . And keep the mixer on till it is almost a firm peek.

Meanwhile make a well in part 1, add part 2 in a 3 batch and mix it with wooden spoon.

When part 3 is ready to use, fold in with that mix, again at lease 1/3 at the time.

When the batter is ready pour in the tin and bake immediately about 25 - 35 min. Should be light golden brown , and the knife comes out clean.

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While your cake is baking, start the custard. Mix all the ingredients except last 3, in a medium size saucepan, and whisk well, turn the heat on and cook it while stirring, till it becomes a thick pudding.

Pour in a bowl and add butter, banana & powder sugar, use a hand blander, whisk till it is cool down completely.

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After your cake is cooled off, slice horizontally in half, and spread your custard, place the top part of the cake, and decorate with confectionery sugar.

Pink Icing

Ingredients
5 egg whites
1/2 cup of water
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 tsp clear vanilla
Food coloring in pink
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How to do:
In a saucepan bring the water and the sugar to boil by stirring occasionally. Let the sugar dissolve and syrup forms to soft ball.
Meanwhile beat the egg whites and the pinch of salt in a grease-free bowl of a standing mixer - you do need both hands :) - to soft peak.
While your mixer is running, slowly pour the hot syrup into egg whites in a stream. Make sure you don't pour on the whisk, it is very hot take a precaution! Keep beating 5 min. and add vanilla and a drop of food coloring. ( I used Wilton coloring gel in pink). Keep going another 2 min. or more till frosting becomes glossy and cool.
You should use this frosting on a cool cake. I use this frosting if I am going serve the cake right away, it doesn't look good day after , even though taste still stays delicious.
You can use icing bag or a spatula to decorate.