Rainbow Cake

Finally I received the ingredients I ordered for rainbow cake after waiting for a long time. I postponed the rainbow cake many times because I didn't receive the wilton food colours I ordered and finally I have them.

I couldnt imagine I would be this happy for an order. I decided to make the rainbow cake after I watched Martha Stewart show.  Colors are very vivid and cheering, as if it is not for eating but for decoration.

Spring hasnt come to Stockholm yet and snows hasnt melted but the rainbow cake make you feel the spring right now. I am not professional about cakes in fact, this is my first trial. Making cakes is really fun and amusing. I feel released from everything and just focus on the cake which I guess relax me. Even my husband asks me if I am not tired while cooking cake but actually I do not get tired and feel very happy while cooking

For my rainbow cake I used wilton 8 food color gel because they are very vivid and assure the cake to be beautiful.

 Ingredients


Vegetable shortening
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/3 cups sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple gel food coloring



Preparation


1) Preheat oven to 180 C. Use as many 23 cm cake pans as possible. Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper; brush again and set aside.


2) In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add egg whites and mix until you get homogeneous mixture. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and milk in two alternating additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the milk. Mix until well combined.

3) Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls. Add enough of each color of food coloring to each bowl, whisking, until desired shade is reached. Transfer each color to an individual cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 15 minutes (working in batches if necessary).

4) Remove cakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire rack; re-invert and let cool completely.

5) Using a milled knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the purple layer on the cake plate. Spread a scant 1 cup buttercream filling over the first layer with a small offset spatula so it extends just beyond edges. Repeat process with blue, green, yellow, and orange layers.

6) Place the remaining red layer on top, bottom-side up. Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush. Using an offset spatula, cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting (also use any of the excess frosting visible between the layers). Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

  Using an offset spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting.

Ingredients

For The Filling And Crumb Coat

9 large egg whites
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract

For The Frosting

5 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract


Preparation


Make the filling and crumb coat: Cook egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; mix on high speed until mixture is room temperature. With the mixer on medium-low, add butter, one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Remove whisk attachment and switch to paddle attachment. Increase speed to high and beat until buttercream comes together, about 5 minutes; beat in lemon extract.

Make the frosting: In a clean saucepan and bowl of an electric mixer, repeat process in step 1.

Mocha Cupcakes

This cupcake recipe is a little different from others such as the creme and the ingredients. As a person who doesnt like to consume coffee in daily life, I only like it with ice cream or sweets.
Normally I really like Chai Tea Latte at Starbucks. There is no Starbucks shop in Stockholm central but only at Arlanda airport. I tried Chai Tea latte at different coffee shops but non are as delicious as Starbucks'. I want to say the officials that we would be happy if there also at least one Starbucks shop in the central Stockholm :) I just remembered the Tiramisu ice creams I ate at Florence. I think I could go there again just for those ice creams :)) I dont think any ice cream is as delicious as the ones I ate in Florance.

If you wish you can try these recipes alternative to my recipe
here or here.

Ingredients:
for 12 cupcakes

1/2 c (118 ml) strong brewed coffee, room temp
1 1/2 tsp espresso powder (I used instant coffee)
1/2 c (118 ml) whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 c (189 g) flour
1/3 c (30 g) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c (118 g) butter, room temp
1/2 c (99 g) granulated sugar
1/2 c (71 g) brown sugar
1 egg, room temp

Preheat the oven to 180 C. 

Mix the espresso powder or instant coffee granules into the brewed coffee. Add the milk and vanilla and leave it to cool.

In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt until you get a homogenous mixture.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix the butter until creamy. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Add the egg and mix until you get homogenous mixture.
Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the last mixture, and mix slowly to combine. Scrape down the sides and add half of the coffee mixture. Keep scraping down the sides of the bowl again and continue alternating wet and dry, ending with dry. Mix until you get an homogenous mixture.

Scoop batter into the cupcake liners. Leave some space in order to avoid the cakes overflow liners.
Bake 17-20 minutes. 

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

1 1/2 c (300 g) sugar
7 egg whites
27 Tbsp (381 g) unsalted butter, room temp
2 Tbsp instant coffee
2 Tbsp warm water

In a double boiler, cook the egg whites and sugar over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved (test by rubbing some between your fingers. If it's completely smooth, it's done). Pour into another bowl (a stand mixer is preferable) and mix on high speed until room temperature. Then, on a medium-low speed, add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next. The buttercream may turn into a soupy curdled mess during this process, but if you continue mixing it for a few minutes it will become light and fluffy. While it's being mixed, combine the water and instant coffee. Pour into mixed buttercream as you would an extract, and mix until you get a homogenous mixture. 

Enjoy your mocha cupcakes :)

Melodifestivalen Sweden 2013

Melodifestivalen is organized every year since 1959 in Sweden. This year it opened its doors on 09.03.2013.  This year melodifestivalen was at Arenastaden in Stockholm. There were rehearsals on friday and the show was on saturday.

It is announced that around 28000  people watched this magnificent festival in arenastaden. It was obvious that a lot of effort put for the shows of this huge and gorgeous organization. 

Selections in the melodifestivalen are decided according to 2 votings.

1. Voting of swedish people

2. Voting of juries from different countries

Who gets the highest point from votings gets the chance to represent Sweden in Eurovision.

This year the festival was very competetive. Swedish people selected Yohio but in the votings of juries from different countries Robin got more points. With the total average of both votings Robin Stjenberg was the winner and he  will represents Sweden in Eurovision. You can watch the song from this link :)

But swedish people liked Yohio more and they believed he should be the one representing them. You can listen Yohio also and decide who should be the wiinner in Eurovision.

For me, I liked Yohio's song more :)

Pamuk Pastry

Ingredients
1 glass warm milk
1 glass oil
1 glass warm water
5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 packet yeast ( i used instant yeast)
flour

Inside
Soft goat cheese
parsley

Preparation

To a deep pot, put 4 glass flour and yeast and then mix. Shape you mixture and leave the middle empty, like a pool. Add oil, milk, water, sugar and salt respectively to the empty middle part and mix them. Knead the mixture by adding more flour slowly. When the dough is lightly sticky to your hand,. stop adding flour.
Leave your paste at least 30 min for rest.

Take pieces as big as nuts from the leavened dough and shape them with your hands. In order to shape them roll out dough, add some inside mixture and close the dough with the mixture inside. Apply the yellow part of the egg on top of shapes and you can add sesame or black cumin as you wish. Cook them in preheated at 180 C oven.

Happy Women's Day

Happy Women's Day! 

Wishing you a day as beautiful as you are!

My women's day special cupcakes and cookies ;)

Cacao and Cream Cheese Cupcake

For a long time I was planning to try cacao cupcake and finally it is the one as I wanted to. I think cacao suits very well with the cakes both for taste and view. I tried this recipe last week unfortunately I just had chance to write it.

It was a problem to carry the cupcakes for my friends. I saw a cupcake and cookie box in a shop which I really loved and thought that it should be mine. It is very stylish and cute. After that carrying my cupcakes for my friends is not a problem any more, it is very easy this way and you can use these kinds of boxes in order to carry your cupcakes or gift that way.

For 10 cacao and cream cheese cupcake
1 egg
1 finger less than 1 glass sugar
1 tea glass oil
1/2 glass milk
1 glass flour
2 tsp cacao
1 packet vanilla
1 packet baking soda

Cream Cheese icing
50 g/ 2 oz cream cheese
25 g/ 1 oz butter, softened at room temperature
125 g/ 4 oz icing sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Preparation:

Mix the egg in a pot in fast speed mode for 2 min. Add sugar and keep mixing 2-3 min more. Add milk, oil and vanilla and keep mixing. Prepare the flour, baking soda and cacao in a different pot and then add to the main mixture. Pour you mixture to cupcake mould and put into the preheated at 180 C oven.

Icing preparation:

Mix the butter anda cream cheese in pot until you get a homogeneous
mixture.Add other ingredients yo your mixture respectively, icing sugar and vanilla and keeep mixing until you get a homogeneous mix.

Enjoy you Cacao cream cheese cupcakes :)

Raspberry and cream Cupcakes

After my careful searches I finally found a cup cake recipe different and like I wanted. I had chance to share this recipe with you. United states is the first thing come in mind when it is about cupcake. It is said that there is a cup cake shop in every street with many gorgeous cup cakes in the US. You can even see cup cakes in movies or TV series such as in sex and the city Carrie ate pink frosting covered and strawberry at the top cup cake. It is impossible to resist the desire for cup cake during that scene :) There is cup cake madness in the world and lets join this madness together ;)

I think the taste of the cake and freshness of the raspberry make the cup cake better because this was it is not too sweet. You can try this recipe with other fruits than raspberry also...

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes;
180g butter, softened
180g caster sugar
180g plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
3-4 tbsp milk
2 free-range eggs
150g raspberries

For the icing;
125g butter, softened
250g icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
small drop red food coloring
12 raspberries

Preparation method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Place all of the cupcake ingredients, except the raspberries, into a food processor and mix until well combined. Add more milk, if necessary, to get the mixture to a soft drop consistency.
3. Put one spoonful of the mixture into the cases, then follow with 2-3 raspberries, and another spoonful of mixture.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, for the icing, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Carefully stir in the icing sugar and continue to beat for five minutes. Beat in the milk and food colouring.
6. Decorate the cupcakes with the icing and top each cupcake with a raspberry.

Enjoy your cupcakes :)