February 24, 2013

8*52 Choco-Coco-Squares

I used to hate (well, maybe not hate but strongly dislike) coconut.
Especially (if not exclusively) in combination with chocolate.
Totally strange and stupid, right?

Then, about 3 years ago, I suddenly loooooved the combination of coconut and chocolate.
I don't even remember what exactly changed my mind or why I even bothered trying it again.
But chocolate-coconut has been good to me ever since.

Even though this week's recipe is not very coconutty, it still adds nicely to the growing list of coconut-chocolate baking recipes.

Choco-Coco-Squares

Cake
150 g (2/3 cup) butter
2 eggs
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sifted cocoa
450 ml (2 cups) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
150 ml (2/3 cup) milk

Frosting
75 g (5 tablespoons) butter
1-2 tablespoons cold coffee
1 tablespoon sifted cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
350 ml (1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar

coconut flakes
  • Melt the butter and let cool. Beat the eggs and sugar until yellow and thick. Alternating, add dry ingredients, milk, and melted butter. Pour into prepared 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in) cake pan. Bake in preheated oven at 175°C (350°F) for around 15 minutes on a low oven rack. Let cool.
  • For the frosting, melt the butter, stir in all frosting ingredients (except for the coconut flakes). Spread the frosting over the cake and sprinkle with coconut flakes. Cut into squares.
My modifications:
None.

The taste:
Very yummy. Nothing crazy or extraordinary, but solidly good.

Any flavor combination that you used to dislike but now love? Or the other way around?

February 17, 2013

7*52 Chocolate-Oat-Cookies

Yes, I know... Valentine's Day was 3 days ago.
But there was and is no sign of it here on this blog. Let me explain:

I was planning on baking and posting something pink and heart-shaped before Valentine's Day.
But then I got the flu and I just couldn't bake or taste (or do pretty much anything else for that matter). And while I do feel better today, I really couldn't bake anything complicated or time-consuming.

So this is the point where we just pretend that we didn't even know about Valentine's Day and feel totally excited about simple, fast, straightforward Chocolate-Oat-Cookies. Okay?


Chocolate-Oat-Cookies
Adapted from Green Gourmet

Makes 20 big or 40 small cookies

100 g chocolate chips
60 g butter
120 g oats
30 g flour
1 egg
50 g sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Melt butter, mix with oats. Combine with remaining ingredients.
  • Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Using 2 teaspoons (or your hand), form balls, put them on the prepared baking sheet and flatten them a bit. 
  • Bake for 9-12 minutes (depending on the size of the cookies).
My modifications:
I added the cinnamon to the original recipe. I just thought it would add a nice flavor.

The taste:
Well, as I said above, I can't taste that much right now. But what I did taste was good (and very chocolaty). The hubby agreed.

What is your quick & easy go-to baking recipe?

February 10, 2013

6*52 Savoy Cabbage Quiche

Savoy cabbage is one of my favorite winter vegetables and I'm always looking out for new ways to prepare it.
When I stumbled upon this recipe, I knew that it was gonna be awesome. And it was.
Add some fried sausages for the non-vegetarians and you have a solid meal that you can totally make for your friends.


Savoy cabbage Quiche
Adapted from WDR2 Einfach Gote

Crust
300 g flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
125 g butter
1 egg

Filling
1 medium savoy cabbage (about 800 g)
50 g butter
3 eggs
150 g creme fraîche
100 g mountain cheese, grated
salt, pepper, nutmeg

  • Cut cold butter into smaller cubes. Using your mixer knead flour, baking powder and butter until crumbly. Add egg and continue to knead until solid dough is forming. If it doesn't get smooth, add a bit of cold water. Using your hands, knead into a ball and let rest in your fridge for about 30 minutes.
  • Take away the outer dark green leaves of the cabbage. Quarter the cabbage head, remove stem and throw away. Cut  leaves into stripes. Heat butter and stir-fry cabbage stripes. Add salt, pepper, a bit of nutmeg, and 3 teablespoons water, put lid on and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove lid and cook until all liquid has evaporated. Let cool.
  • Roll out dough and put into prepared quiche pan. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk together eggs, creme fraîche, salt and pepper. Mix cabbage and grated cheese and spread evenly onto crust. Pour egg mixture on top and bake for about 40 minutes. Let rest in oven for 5 minutes before serving.

My modifications:
None. Just what I always do with piecrusts like this one: I distribute the dough with my hands before putting it into the fridge. It's so much easier than cooling it and then rolling it out.

The taste:
Very good! The guests really liked it as well. I will definitely make this one again - so good!

What's your favorite quiche or savory pie?

February 3, 2013

5*52 Waffles

Waffles are comfort food. And we all need a bit of comfort in our lives, don't we?

Now, I know that this is not your typical baking recipe because it doesn't even require an oven but I still consider waffles to be a 'baked good'. I hope you agree.
I feel like I also have to mention that the waffle iron is one of those kitchen equipments that I absolutely love to have but which are neglected for most of the time. I really have to change that...

Oh, and did I mention that these waffles are fat free? Can't get better than that.

Waffles
Adapted from Chefkoch

Makes 8 waffles

250 ml (1 cup) milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons (50 g) sugar
pintch of salt
180 g (1.5 cups) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff.
  • Whisk together milk, egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Add baking powder and flour and whisk until smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites. 
  • Bake in your waffle iron as directed.
  • Dust with powdered sugar, sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles, top with fruit preserves or Nutella.
My modifications:
I added 10 g of sugar to the original recipe. The waffles are still not sweet, so dusting/sprinkling/topping with something sweet is highly recommended :)
I also omitted the lemon zest that the original recipe called for. I just didn't see it necessary.

The taste:
Very fluffy! Not very sweet which makes them perfect for putting something sweet on top. But I already mentioned that above, didn't I?


What's your favorite (baked) comfort food?