New Year 2020 - Marzipan cake with orange twist

 

At Midnight New Year´s Eve it is tradition to enjoy marzipan cakes (kransekage) together with champagne/sparkling wine, when the bell will ring it´s 12 strokes. It is best to drink a sweet type of champagne/sparkling wine, so the champagne does not clashes with the sweet marzipan cake.

For this year I have created these marzipan cake with orange twist using inspiration from these marzipan breads with orange & Gran Marnier. As suggestion for home-made marzipan cakes, this could also be options.

The advantage of baking your own marzipan cakes is, that you decided on both the sweetness level as well as the taste of these cakes, if you want to twist the taste.
Another advantage by baking your marzipan cake is, that you can use leftovers of marzipan after all the Christmas activities of home-made marzipan based Christmas sweets.

Marzipan cake with orange twist: - 12 pieces

• 250 g marzipan
• 120 g icing sugar
• 1 organic orange - only the peel
• 1 tablespoon Gran Marnier
• 1 egg - only the egg white - 25 g egg white 
• Dark chocolate coating

1. Heat the oven to 210'C (conventional oven).
2. Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl. 
3. Knead all the ingredients together into a homogeneous mass.
4. Divide the marzipan cake mass into 12 pieces of equal size, which is rolled by hand into thinner rolls. 
5. Squeeze the top of the marzipan cakes in triangle shape.
6. Bake the marzipan cake mass at 210'C for 8-10 minutes.
7. Cool down the marzipan cake.
8. Melt the dark chocolate coating. Coat the bottom of the marzipan cakes with dark chocolate.
9. Let the dark chocolate coating dry. Store the marzipan cakes in airtight containers.
10. Enjoy !!!!

New Year 2020 - suggestion for home-made marzipan cake

 

Tomorrow it is the last day here in 2020, so it is time to prepare for New Year's Eve tomorrow. Here in Denmark the tradition is to eat marzipan cake (kransekage) together with a glass of champagne (it is best to drink sweet champagne, when you eat marzipan cake to avoid a clash in your mouth between sweet cake and dry champagne), as we step from the old year into the new year.

If you would like to bake your very own marzipan cakes, I will already now share my entire collection of various suggestions on marzipan cake (known as kransekage in Denmark), which I have created during the "life time" of Kitchen of Kiki. It will give you time to go shopping for the needed ingredients as well as baking them for New Year's Eve tomorrow and perhaps clear out the last Christmas marzipan left-overs.

I find, that the major advantages of making your own marzipan cake is, that you are in control of the overall  sweetness in the final cake, so you can make the cake more or less sweet according to your sweetness preference, instead for "just living with" the sweetness in the cakes, which you buy, which I find to be too sweet !!!

If you would like to have  more softness in your marzipan cake, you should freeze them after baking. The only drawback is, that I find freezing to reduce the overall flavour profile of the cake.

I will not be making any of the above mentioned suggestion for New Year's Eve, as I will trying out a new version, so look by tomorrow on New Year Eve day for the marzipan creation of 2020 in form of marzipan cake with orange twist.

Marzipan cake with nougat filling

marzipan cake with rose

The "classic" type of marzipan cake is the white version of these zebra marzipan cake. The white version is made from plain marzipan, while the dark version is made from marzipan containing cocoa.

Another good tasting marzipan cake could be these marzipan orange cakes or with an extra little twist in of orange flower as here marzipan orange cakes with orange flower. A third suggestion giving similar looking cakes are marzipan cakes with clementine and Cointreau.

Another excellent taste twist on "kransekage" is pomegranate marzipan cake combining the freshness of pomegranate with the sweetness of marzipan.

As a colourful farewell to 2016 these baked marzipan confect are an option. The only drawback is, that the forest fruit marzipan (purple looking marzipan) is loosing colour during the baking !!! However, you do not need to worry about this topic, as Odense Marcipan has withdrawn this specific marzipan product from their product range.

In 2013 liquorice marzipan was the "new black flavour" within the marzipan world, as it so many other food items here in Danmark, so therefore I created these liquorice marzipan cake. Also in 2014 I made liquorice marzipan cake.

I 2016 I made these marzipan cake with ginger and lime.

Another fantastic flavour combination would be this marzipan cake with raspberry and lime, which you share with your sweet heart.

In 2015 I made this fantastic marzipan horn.

Christmas sweater 2020 - getting ready for the pattern of Christmas tress

I have been having a very good start on my new knitting project in form of a Christmas sweater. The sweater is knitted as top-down. So, in the beginning you get knitted quiet a lot, as you do have so many knit mask on the knitting needles. Therefore, I am now ready to start on the pattern of Christmas tress with golden top & candle light. On this part of the sweater I have to concentrate, as I have to count very singe mask to follow the pattern. 

Christmas sweater 2020 by Önling

Having finished this knitting of the Silke sweater, I have started right away knitting on my next knitting project in form of the Christmas sweater 2020 by Önling with bling. I brought this Christmas sweater as a kit (yarn + recipe) in connection with Black Friday offer at Önling, so I paided 812.70 DKK (107.50 €) for the entire kit. 

The yarn is dark green Önling no 2 yarn, which is 100% merino wool. And as the bling factor I using gold coloured Krea Deluxe shiny glimmer yarn. The Christmas sweater can also be knitted without the bling yarn. 

This will be first Christmas sweater. As one of my friends said, well you will NOT be finished before Christmas. And this is very true, however, we have a Daish saying, that Christmas last until Easter !!

And the pattern is not so Christmas style, that you cannot wear this sweater in January & February. 

Silke sweater is ready for use

 

For the last week time I have been very focused on finishing the knitting of the Silke sweater, as I really would like to start to knit my very first Christmas sweater ! 

I decided to knit a version with shorter arms, so I can use this sweater both during both the cold as well as warmer season. As yarn for this Silke sweater I have used the yarn Önling Yarn No 12  (mixture of 55% wool & 45% cotton). This gives a very light sweater, which I am enjoying to wear today. I will for sure use this knit pattern again to knit another version in a different yarn combination. 

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 24 - Merry Christmas to all of you

 

I wish you a merry Christmas 

I want to wish all of you a merry Christmas and thank you for dropping by on small visits to my little kitchen :-) I hope you have enjoyed your visit(s), few or many, here, being either a short browse or a long stay.

Today is the day of farewell to this year Christmas Calendar of 2020 with focus on CAPITAL C, which I hope have brought you joy during a very unusual Christmas time. I have for sure got a kitchen full of Christmas goodies, when making all the many blog posts for this year´s Christmas Calendar.

Thank your for dropping by and have wonderful Christmas together with your family :-)

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 23 - Chocolate cream cake with cinnamon & walnuts

 

The final cake creation for the Christmas of 2020 is this chocolate cream cake with cinnamon & walnuts, where I have used have combined this chocolate cake with cinnamon together with the use of whipped cream flavoured with cinnamon sugar & walnut like this walnut cream cake a la Svinkløv. It turned out to be a great combination. 

Chocolade cake bun cinnamon: - 1 cake

• 1 egg
• 150 g brown sugar
• 75 g butter - melted
• 100 g whole fat milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 125 g (cake) flour
• 2-2½ dl dairy whipping cream, 38% fat
• 1-2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar
• 50-75 g walnuts - medium chopped
• 5 whole walnuts - for decoration

1. Heat up the oven to 170'C.
2. Add the egg and sugar into a medium size bowl, whip it together with an electrical mixer.
3. Add in the melted butter, milk, flour, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Whip again into a homogeneous mass.
4. Place the Tupperware MicroPro ring on top of baking parchment.
5. Fill the cake dough into the MicroPro ring.
6. Place the cake in the middle of the oven, and bake the cake at 170 for 30-40 minutes.
7. Check, that the cake is baked, before you take it out of the oven.
8. Pull softly in the MicroPro ring from time to time, so get the cake loose.
9. Remove the MicroPro ring and let the cake cool down on the baking parchment.
10. Cool down the cake, slice the cake into either 2 or 3 slices.
11. Pour the whipping cream together with cinnamon sugar into a medium sized mixing bowl.
12. Whip the cream using a electrical whipper to the right firmness.
13. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
14. Place one chocolate cake bun on a serving plate.
15. Spread ½ of the whipped cream on top of the cake bun.
16. Place the second cake bun on top of the whipped cream.
17. Decorate the top of the second/last cake bun with the rest of the whipped cream.
18. Decorate the whipped cream with 5 whole walnuts.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 22 - indoor Christmas decorations

 

It is not just outside the house, that I have decorated for Christmas. Also, indoor I have decorate the kitchen living room for Christmas. As I this year has a small kitten, some of the Christmas balls, which decorates the window have been placed as high as possible.

The use of battery candle light is another common theme for my Christmas decoration this year, again due to the presence in the house of a small kitten having no idea, what a burning candle is !!!

Not that many guests have been coming around, however, I small silver-like tray stand ready with glasses and different types of liqueurs to welcome guests :-)

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 21 - Chocolate cake with cinnamon

I have used this recipe on chocolate cake again giving it another Christmas twist in form of using cinnamon & brown sugar.  My plan is not to eat this cake as it is, however I will used it as cake buns for a cream cake with cream filling of walnut & cinnamon. 

Chocolade cake with cinnamon: - 1 cake

• 1 egg
• 150 g brown sugar
• 75 g butter - melted
• 100 g whole fat milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 125 g (cake) flour

1. Heat up the oven to 170'C.
2. Add the egg and sugar into a medium size bowl, whip it together with an electrical mixer.
3. Add in the melted butter, milk, flour, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Whip again into a homogeneous mass.
4. Place the Tupperware MicroPro ring on top of baking parchment.
5. Fill the cake dough into the MicroPro ring.
6. Place the cake in the middle of the oven, and bake the cake at 170 for 30-40 minutes.
7. Check, that the cake is baked, before you take it out of the oven.
8. Pull softly in the MicroPro ring from time to time, so get the cake loose.
9. Remove the MicroPro ring and let the cake cool down on the baking parchment.
10. Serve the cake or use it as cream cake buns.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 20 - outside Christmas decoration

Besides from indoor Christmas decorating, I have also decorate outside my house in my front garden with various type pf pine, fairy light being turned on during the dark. I have located two Christmas stars made from tarpaulin, so they can withstand a typical Danish rainy Winter season.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 19 - English sister cake with Christmas twist

 

The English sister cake is a cake, which I recall back from my childhood, where my mother used to bake this cake. And I also think, that she was buying a similar bag containing both baking powder and spice mixture called "brown baking powder". So when I located the type of baking powder in my local supermarket, I decided to bake English sister cake with a Christmas twist in form of both candied orange peel and sucat besides from the corinths. 

English sister cake with Christmas twist: - 1 cake

• 250 g soft butter
• 250 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 400 g (cake) wheat flour
• 1 bag f brown baking powder
• 2½ dl full fat milk
• 75 g corinths
• 20 g candied orange peel
• 20 g sucat

1. Heat up the oven to 175'C.
2. Add soft bitter & sugar in a medium mixing bowl, and whip it together in a foamy mass using an electrical beater.
3. Add in the eggs, one by one, whipping between addition of an egg.
4. Add in the brown baking powder.
5. Pour in the milk, and whip again.
6. Add in the flour and whip.
7. Add in the dried fruit, and the cake dough together, until all the dried fruit is homogeneous mixed.
8. Cover a bread form of 2 l with baking parchement.
9. Pour in the cake dough.
10. Place the form in the middle of the oven.
11. Bake the cake at 175'C for 45-75 minutes.
12. Check regular, that the bake is baked.
13. Cold down the cake prior to cutting it and serving it.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 18 - Cherry "mulled drink"

 

It is time to enjoy a "mulled drink" made from cherry cordial and a mulled spice bag from a local delicatessen. I decided not to use red wine or add alcohol into the "mulled drink", as my Christmas guests also were enjoying a glass or two of champagne.

Cherry "mulled drink": - 4-5 servings

• 1 liter cherry cordial
• 1 spice bag for mulled wine

1. Pour the cherry cordial in a medium cooking pot.
2. Add in the spice bag.
3. Let the liquid simmer gently, and let the sugar from the spice bag dissolve into the cherry cordial.
4. When the spice bag is empty for the sugar. And the cherry liquid is hot, but not boiling, it can be poured into glasses and served.
5. Cheers :-)

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 17 - Buns with orange & cinnamon

 

As starting recipe for the bun I used this recipe on classic buns, which really have become my favorite bun recipe. As the Christmas twist I have added orange juice and cinnamon into the bun dough. I served these buns for a few selected Christmas guests. 

Buns with orange & cinnamon: 16-18 buns

• 650 g wheat flour
• 50 g sugar
• 100 g sunflower/rape seed oil
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 8 g salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2½ dl orange juice
• egg wash for glazing

1. Weigh all the ingredients directly into the mixing bowl of the stand alone mixer. Keep salt & sugar away from the yeast.
2. Place the bowl on the stand-alone mixer.
3. Start knead the dough at speed 1 for 8 minutes.
4. Afterwards increase the speed to 4, knead for 2 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough. If it is not OK, when knead it at speed 4 for another 2 minutes. Again check the consistency. If needed, knead again for 1 minute and when check consistency of the dough.
5. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on the kitchen table sprinkled with flour.
6. Let the entire dough raise for approx. 30-40 minutes under a damp cloth.
7. When you evaluate, that the dough has raise enough, divide the dough into smaller pieces with a weight of 80 g each.
8. Place the bun pieces on the baking tray covered with baking parchment. 
9. Let the bun raise for second time for approx 40 minutes under a tea towel.
10. Heat up the fan oven to 200'C.
11. Bake the bun at 200'C for 15 minutes, turning the baking trays around after 8 minutes to get an even baking.
12. Cold down the buns, before serving them with a nice cup of tea/coffee.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 16 - Cherry marzipan bread

 

Today I have been creating some more marzipan bread as supplement to these marzipan bread with Grand Marnier. Again I have located the recipe in the weekly magazine "Søndag" (issue 49/2020). However, I decided to make various modification to the original recipe. I continued to use chocolate coating, as I did not need to temper a chocolate coating as you have with normal chocolate. You only need to melt the chocolate coating, and when it is ready to use.

Cherry marzipan bread: - 15 marzipan breads

• 40 g Amarena cherry - finely chopped
• 200 g marzipan
• 3 tablespoons cherry liquid from the Amarena cherries or cherry liqueur
• 20 g almond flour
• dark chocolate coating
• ruby chocolate coating

1. Knead the marzipan, cherry and cherry liquid together with the almond flour together by hand in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Place the marzipan cold for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the marzipan mass in long smaller roll, which when is flatten in square size. 
4. Cut the marzipan roll into 15 smaller square pieces.
5. Place the marzipan pieces cold again for minimum 30 minutes.
6. Melt the dark/ruby chocolate coating.
7. Coat the marzipan bread pieces one by one, place the coated marzipan bread on a piece of baking parchment.
8. After setting of the chocolate coating, place the marzipan bread in airtight containers.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 15 - Marzipan "biscuits" with nougat filling

 

Continuing to fill the empty cake tins with some more Christmas sweets, again using a recipe located in the weekly magazine "Søndag" (issue 45/2020). I have made no changes to the recipe as it was in the magazine.

Marzipan "biscuits" with nougat filling: - 15 pieces

• 250 g marzipan
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• 75 g soft nougat
• 25 g dark chocolate
• 1/4 teaspoon flake salt
• ruby chocolate for decoration
• freeze-dried raspberries for decoration

1. Heat up the oven to 180'C.
2. Start by kneading the marzipan and icing sugar together.
3. Roll out the marzipan into a height of 3 mm.
4. Stick out 30 pieces of the marzipan. I used a small aquavita glass as "cutter". Other shapes can be used. Re-roll the marzipan pieces into bigger pieces, which can be sticked into the desired shape.
5. Place the marzipan pieces on a baking tray covered with baking parchment. 
6. Bake the marzipan pieces at 180'C for 6-8 minutes, until the marzipan is light golden in colour.
7. Cool down the marzipan pieces
8. Cut the soft nougat and dark chocolate into smaller pieces, which is melted together over a water bath. 
9. Stir in the flake salt.
10. Cool down the nougat filling.
11. Take a small teaspoon of nougat filling and spread it on top of one marzipan pieces, place a second marzipan pieces on top of the nougat filling. Now you have a marzipan biscuit with nougat filling.
12. Melt the ruby chocolate.
13. Decorate the top of the marzipan biscuit with a small amount of ruby chocolate. Sprinkle with freeze-dried raspberries.
14. When the ruby chocolate is set, place the marzipan biscuit in airtight containers.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 14 - Marzipan bread with Grand Marnier

Today it is time to make yet another portion of Christmas sweets, this time "marzipan breads" with orange peel and Grand Marnier. I have found this recipe in the weekly magazine "Søndag" (issue 45/2020). I decided to work with chocolate coating instead of normal dark chocolate, as you do not need to temper a chocolate coating as you have with normal chocolate. You only need to melt the chocolate coating, and when it is ready to use.

Marzipan bread with Grand Marnier: - 20 marzipan breads

• 1 organic orange - only the zest
• 250 g marzipan
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 200 g dark chocolate coating
• pistachio nut - small-medium chopped

1. Knead the marzipan, orange zest & Grand Marnier together by hand in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Place the marzipan cold for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the marzipan mass in long smaller roll, which when is flatten in square size. 
4. Cut the marzipan roll into 20 smaller square pieces.
5. Place the marzipan pieces cold again for minimum 30 minutes.
6. Melt the dark chocolate coating.
7. Coat the marzipan bread pieces one by one, place the coated marzipan bread on a piece of baking parchment, and sprinkle at once with chopped pistachio nuts, as the chocolate coating is set very fast.
8. After setting of the chocolate coating, place the marzipan bread in airtight containers.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 13 - Lucia bun with orange twist

Today is Lucia day a day of singing girls in white dresses and candlelight in their hands. Besides from the singing and the candles you should also eat Lucia buns (buns with saffron) known as Lussekatte in Sweden, where the day of Lucia is an even bigger event than here in Denmark.

The Danish Lucia song by Alex Garff:

Nu bæres lyset frem                       - Now worn light up
stolt på din krone.                          - proud of your crown.
Rundt om i hus og hjem                  - Around the house and home
sangen skal tone.                            - the song should sound.
Nu på Lucia-dag                            - Now on Lucia Day
hilser vort vennelag                         - welcome to our friends
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.               - Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

Her ved vor ønskefest                    -  Here at our desire celebration
sangen skal klinge.                          - the song to fade.
Gaver til hver en gæst                     - Gifts for every guest
glad vil du bringe.                           - glad you bring.
Skænk os af lykkens væld              - Grant us the happiness wealth
lige til livets kvæld                          - right to life eve
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.               - Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.

As starting recipe for the bun I used this recipe on classic buns, which really have become my favorite bun recipe. Other recipes on Lucia buns could be these saffron buns a la Anne´s Food,  Lucia buns, saffron pot buns, Lucia buns year 2017, Lucia buns 2018 & Lucia buns 2019.

How to roll the bun into the right shape you can below on these photos:

Lucia buns: 18-20 buns

• 650 g wheat flour
• 50 g sugar
• 125 g butter - soft
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 8 g salt
• 0.25 g saffron
• 2½ dl whole fat milk
• egg wash for glazing

1. Weigh all the ingredients directly into the mixing bowl of the stand alone mixer. Keep salt & sugar away from the yeast.
2. Place the bowl on the stand-alone mixer.
3. Start knead the dough at speed 1 for 8 minutes.
4. Afterwards increase the speed to 4, knead for 2 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough. If it is not OK, when knead it at speed 4 for another 2 minutes. Again check the consistency. If needed, knead again for 1 minute and when check consistency of the dough.
5. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on the kitchen table sprinkled with flour.
6. Let the entire dough raise for approx. 30-40 minutes under a damp cloth.
7. When you evaluate, that the dough has raise enough, divide the dough into smaller pieces with a weight of 75 g each.
8. Shape the dough pieces into the shape of Lucia bun look at the photos above
9. Place the bun pieces on the baking tray covered with baking parchment. 
10. Let the bun raise for second time for approx 40 minutes under a tea towel.
11. Heat up the fan oven to 200'C.
12. Bake the bun at 200'C for 15 minutes, turning the baking trays around after 8 minutes to get an even baking.
13. Cold down the buns, before serving them with a nice cup of tea/coffee.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 12 - Cinnamon Dream cookies

After I baked these cinnamon cookies, I decided to make various changes (only to use butter, more cinnamon and less ammonium hydrogen carbonate). I also decided to sprinkle the cookies before baking with cinnamon sugar . I also decided to place the cookie dough cool in the refrigerator, so I could slice the cookie, prior to baking them.  

Cinnamon Dream cookies: - 30-50 cookies

• 175 g butter - soft
• 200 g sugar
• 2½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 200 g wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon ammonium hydrogen carbonate
• cinnamon sugar for sprinkling - optional

1. Whip the sugar & butter white and foamy using a hand mixer.
2. Add in the cinnamon, and whip again.
3. Afterward add in the wheat flour and ammonium hydrogen carbonate and whip again.
4. Divide the cookie dough into two portion. Each portion in place on cling film and rolled in long cookie roll.
5. Place the cookie dough cold in the refrigerator night over.
6. Heat up the oven to 150'C.
7. Slice the cookie rolls into cookies.
8. Place the cookies on baking trays covered with baking parchment. 
9. Sprinkle the cookie with cinnamon sugar.
10. Bake at 150'C for  approx. 20 minutes.
11. Cool down the cookies, before they are stored in an air-tight container.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 11 - Cherry Vermouth

 

Getting ready to enjoy another Christmas week-end, this time enjoying a cherry vermouth with a twist of orange :-)

Cherry Vermouth:  - 2 drinks

• 1 orange - 2 slices and the rest as juice of the orange
• Frederiksdal cherry vermouth
  
• ice cubes

1. Place 1 slice of orange in each glass.
2. Squeeze the rest of orange for juice, which is divided between the two glasses.
3. Place ice cubes in the glasses.
4. Fill in cherry vermouth.
5. Cheers & happy Christmas week-end :-)

Petra - first progress

Yesterday I share a progress on the "easy knitting project" in form of the Silke sweater. So today, I will share an updated on the much more colour full knit project in form of Petra sweater.

As you can see, there is full power on the colours in form of pink, rose and red combined with changes in the pattern and the size of the stripes. Also here I have placed knitting masks on knitting wires for the arms.  

You need to pay full attention, when you knit this project, as the pattern and colours changes all the time. So here, you cannot knit during other activities such as phone meetings, as you very easy can make a mistake in the pattern. 

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 10 - Rice Krispies sweet treats

After yesterdays creation of a first sweet treat I continue today by making some more sweet treats to fill up my still empty cake tins. I have also located this recipe in the weekly magazine "Søndag" (issue 45/2020), and here I have made no changes at all.

Rice Krispies sweet treats: - 30-40 pieces

• 200 g Yankie chocolate bars - small-medium chopped
• 100 g butter
• 1 nip of flake salt
• 50 g Rice Krispies

1. Add the butter and chopped Yankie chocolate bars in a cooking pot at low heat.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together into a homogenous mass. It will take some time for the sugar part of the chocolate bars to become liquid.
3. When the entire mass is melted together, add in a nip of flake salt.
4. Add in the Rice Krispies and stir everything well together.
5. Use two teaspoon for adding this chocolate mass into the small holes in silicone forms or small confect forms.
6. Place the sweet treats cold for minimum 2 hours.
7. Place the sweet treats in an airtight container for storage.

Silke sweater - first progress

Some time has gone, since I shared an update on my on-going knitting projects. This time I would like to show the progress, which I have made on Silke sweater. I am using the yarn Önling Yarn No 12  (mixture of 55% wool & 45% cotton) for the knitting of this sweater. 

In the recipe you should use knitting needles of size 3.5, however my knitting test showed, that I need to knit with knitting needles in size, so it takes some time to get a sweater with a length of 59 cm,. Anyway I have just placed knitting masks on two knitting wires for the arms. 

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 9 - Nougat treat

 

Today it is time to start making some Christmas sweets to fill up my various cake tins with goodies for the approaching Christmas. I have found this recipe in the weekly magazine "Søndag" (issue 45/2020), and the only changes, which I have done was to not make the decoration at the end with dark dark chocolate.

Nougat treat:  - 2 nougat pieces for further division

• 150 g nougat - medium chopped
• 150 g milk chocolate -medium chopped
• 100 g salted almond - medium chopped
• 50 g dried cranberries

1. Prepare 2 plastic containers of 10 x 15 cm covering them with baking parchment. 
2. Add the chopped nougat & milk chocolate into a small-medium mixing bowl, which is placed in a cooking pot with warm water. Melt the nougat & milk chocolate together, while you stir regular.
3. Remove the mixing bowl from the water. Stir in the chopped salted almond and cranberries.
4. Pour this nougat mixture into the two plastic containers.
5. Place the containers cold in the refrigerator for minimum 4 hours, before you can cut into smaller pieces.
6. Store the nougat pieces in an airtight containers prior to serving.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 8 - After Eight chocolate cake

 

It is time for yet another chocolate time, I recently shared this recipe on chocolate cake with P-tærter with you. I have yet again used this basic recipe on chocolate cake a la Tupperware as starting point. The good thing about this specific recipe is, that you get a smaller size chocolate cake, so you often so enjoy a fresh chocolate, while you at the same time to try a flavour twist.

After Eight chocolate cake: - 1 cake

• 1 egg
• 150 g sugar
• 75 g butter - melted
• 100 g whole fat milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 125 g (cake) flour
• 50 g After Eight chocolate - medium chopped - for the cake dough
• 10 pieces of After Eight chocolate - for melting on top of the freshly baked chocolate cake

1. Heat up the oven to 170'C.
2. Add the egg and sugar into a medium size bowl, whip it together with an electrical mixer.
3. Add in the melted butter, milk, flour, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar and baking powder. Whip again into a homogeneous mass.
4. Stir in the chopped After Eight chocolate pieces into the cake dough.
5. Place the Tupperware MicroPro ring on top of baking parchment.
6. Fill the cake dough into the MicroPro ring.
7. Place the cake in the middle of the oven, and bake the cake at 170 for 30-40 minutes.
8. Check, that the cake is baked, before you take it out of the oven.
9. Place the pieces of "whole / un-broken" After Eight chocolate on freshly baked cake, so the chocolate pieces can melt together.
10. Use a dough scraper to spread the chocolate pieces into a homogenous layer.
11. Pull softly in the MicroPro ring from time to time, so get the cake loose.
12. Cool down the cake and remove the MicroPro ring.
13. Serve the cake together with a cup of coffee and/or tea.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 7 - Cinnamon cookies

It is time to start baking cookies, so the cookie tins can be filled up for Christmas. And today I have been testing a recipe on cinnamon cookies, which I have located in the weekly magazine "Søndag".

I had expected a stronger taste of cinnamon in these cookies, and the feed-back from my colleagues, is that taste of cinnamon is not very dominating. Also, the cookies was very crumbling, which I think comes from the amount of ammonium hydrogen carbonate, so next I will increase the level of cinnamon on decrease the amount of ammonium hydrogen carbonate.

Cinnamon cookies: - 30-50 cookies

• 100 g butter - soft
• 2½ dl sugar
• 1 dl rape seed oil
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 dl wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon ammonium hydrogen carbonate

1. Heat up the oven to 150'C.
2. Whip the sugar & butter white and foamy using a hand mixer.
3. Add in the rape seed oil together with the cinnamon, and whip again.
4. Afterward add in the wheat flour and ammonium hydrogen carbonate and whip again.
5. Use two teaspoons to take small pieces of the cookie dough, which is placed on baking tray covered with baking parchment. 
6. Bake at 150'C for  approx. 20 minutes.
7. Cool down the cookies, before they are stored in an air-tight container.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 6 - Christmas kløben buns version 3

 

These kløben buns are only for grown ups, as they are full of raisin, sukat, orange peels & cranberries, some of the stuff, which quiet many people can have a strong opinion as they really dislike the use of sukat & raisins insides both buns and cakes. However, I have a huge fan of these ingredients inside both buns & cakes, so therefore I bake this type of bun every Christmas, such as these Christmas bun kløben version 2. This year I have used a combination of almond flour & sour cream, as a way of clearing up my refrigerator :-)

Since I have learned to bake these classic buns at the bread baking course, they have become a favorite of mine. Another favorite bun type of mine are kløben buns, they have been favorite since my childhood. 

These buns are great served with a cup of coffee/tea or glass of port :-)

Christmas buns kløben style version 2: - 16-20 buns

• 650 g wheat flour
• 20 g almond flour - optional
• 50 g sugar
• 100 g sour cream with 38% fat
• 70 g butter - soft and cut into smaller squares
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 8 g salt
• 200 g full-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon of cardamom 
• 50 g raisins
• 50 g sucat
• 50 g orange peel
• 65 g dried cranberries

1. Weigh all the ingredients (not the dried fruits) directly into the mixing bowl of the stand alone mixer. Keep salt & sugar away from the yeast.
2. Place the bowl on the stand-alone mixer.
3. Start knead the dough at speed 1 for 8 minutes.
4. Add in the dried fruits.
5. Afterwards increase the speed to 4, knead for 2 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough. If it is not OK, when knead it at speed 4 for another 2 minutes. Again check the consistency. If needed, knead again for 1 minute and when check consistency of the dough.
6. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on the kitchen table sprinkled with flour.
7. Let the entire dough raise for approx 20 minutes under a damp cloth.
8. When you evaluate, that the dough has raise enough, divide the dough into smaller pieces with a weight of 100 g each.
9. Shape the dough pieces into bun shapes. Place the bun pieces on the baking tray covered with baking parchment. 
10. Let the bun raise for second time for approx 40 minutes under a tea towel.
11. Heat up the oven to 200'C.
12. Bake the bun at 200'C for 16 minutes.
13. Cold down the buns, before serving them with a nice cup of tea/coffee.

Christmas Calendar 2020 Day 5 - Cherry Royal

 

Let's celebrate the first week-end in the Christmas month of December with a sparkling glass of cherry wine (Frederiksdal RØD sparkling) with some extra cherry addition in form of cherry vermouth (Frederiksdal vermouth). These two types of cherry alcoholic products are produced locally here in Denmark.

Cherry Royal: - 1 cocktail

• 3 cl cherry vermouth
• cherry sparkling wine

1. Fill the cherry vermouth in a champagne glass
2. Fill up with sparkling cherry wine
3. Cheers & enjoy the week-end :-)