Cakes

When I am stressed and tensed about something, there are a couple of activities that relax me. I found that the best combination is a manual activity that, nonetheless, requires some brain power. 

Books are great when I am just generally stressed. But when I am worked up over something, reading just doesn't cut it. My mind starts wandering away and circles back to the thing that got me upset in the first place. And my body stays tense. Same happens when I go for a run.

It has to be a combination of both, physical and mental activity, to really do the job. And one of the best things I found to help out with the tension is cooking and baking. Which is very lucky, cause I really love making something special in the kitchen. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm no Donna Reed (if you don't get the reference, you clearly didn't spend hours and hours of joy watching Gilmore Girls, see: http://gilmoregirls.wikia.com/wiki/That_Damn_Donna_Reed). But I love to show off with a special dinner or dessert.

Here are a couple of my recent cake creations:

Starting from top left, these are:

1. French rhubarb cake: http://www.mykitchenintherockies.com/2011/05/20/french-rhubarb-cake/
2. Rhubarb and cinnamon muffins: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/cinnamon-rhubarb-muffins.aspx
3. Blueberry raw vegan slice: http://www.choosingraw.com/raw-vegan-blackberry-cheesecake-bars/ 
4.  Rhubarb scones (can you spot the pattern yet?): http://www.crumbblog.com/2010/05/tea-party-rhubarb-ginger-scones.html
5. Chocolate, raspberry and vanilla mousse cake: http://www.sugarhero.com/chocolate-raspberry-mousse-cake/ 

February Challenge

If you've read my previous post you know that I've been experimenting with challenging myself. Each month I try something new, something that brings a difference to my life, something that takes me out of my comfort zone. Last month, I sworn off sugar and it was interesting to try, I wasn't wowed by the impact of that challenge.

This month I am trying something more active. I will sample 15 new recipes, that I have not tried before. It is not a crazy challenge but I feel like I lack time for this in everyday life. During the week I often skip cooking in the evening and just grab a sandwich, even though I love cooking and it relaxes me. So I want to try to force myself motivate myself to do more of that. You can see 14 recipes I have chosen on pinterest. The 15th dish is going to be a nutty variation on my sourdough bread, that I dreamt of myself so there is no recipe.

The first recipe, and the celebration of no-sugar month, was this, gorgeous looking and yummy, raspberry swirl cheesecake. When I lived in London, raspberry swirl cheesecake from Sainsbury's was my guilty pleasure so I decided to try to bake it myself.

I tasted delicious although it was a bit more wet than expected. I went for a thick variant of yoghurt, you can buy in Denmark, called skyr, instead of fatty cream cheese. It made the cake healthier but not as firm and creamy. Next time, I will go all out :) 

Rhubarb!

I love seasonal fruits and veges. There is truly nothing more enjoyable on Saturday morning than a visit to farmers' market. I love browsing around the stalls, smelling fresh, earthy smells of roots and herbs, and picking up what's in season.


May is the season for asparagus and rhubarb. And boy, do I love rhubarb! So many good things you can make with these sweet and sour sticks.
Yesterday night, I turned the fresh batch of rhubarb into this delicious rhubarb sour cream cake. It is a very easy to follow recipe, but the outcome is orgasmic. The cake gets better on the second day, if kept in the fridge. And I strongly recommend you serve the cake with whipped cream, vanilla ice-cream, or sour cream and vanilla sugar. Mhhmmmm...

Birthday on a Spring Saturday

This Saturday Mr. P celebrated turning...a certain amount of years. We had family over for coffee and cake and we prepared a traditional Danish bday table. Note the obligatory Danish flag, home baked buns and the monster in the middle - kagemand or the cake man (see also photo below). Kagemand is traditionally made for kids' bday parties. The dough varies and can contain a variety of additives (such as marzipan, chocolate, sugar or honey). But the unifying quality of every cakeman is the insane amount of sweets that are placed on the cake after it is baked.

In our case the dough was made with yeast and as little fat as we could. The top layer was made of glazed brown sugar, powdered sugar icing, Haribo jellies and licorice candies. We were also going to use blue jungle sprinkle mix but there simply wasn't enough space. Anyway, you understand now the essence of the cakeman I think - and that is sugar-induced coma.

After we stuffed ourselves with sugar and fat we decided that the least we could do, was to have a little walk in the park. The weather was wonderful and I couldn't stop myself to take pictures of the fresh spring colors.




And in the evening, the weather turned. Storm clouds came about and the colors changed again.