Spitzbuben biscuits

There is nothing like baking some yummy treats on a Winter Saturday afternoon.

Homemade biscuits and a slice of cake

Pastry, blackberry jam and some icing sugar

Delicious hearts

Our first mini brioches

Success! These are our very first home baked brioches, and they are seriously yummy!

Many thanks to Deb at Smitten Kitchen!

Quite by chance I stumbled upon SmittenKitchen.com and decided to try "Mom's Apple Cake" recipe featured on September 30th, 2008. Yesterday afternoon Mum and I baked the cake and yes, we resisted the temptation to get up in the middle of the night to take a "sample". After lunch I quickly took a snapshot of the cake and then we had a slice, OMG! It is sooo moist and yummy, the perfect comfort food!
Thank you Deb for your inspiring website and delicious recipes!

Far Breton with icing sugar and recipe postcard

...far breton with or without icing sugar? Uhm, decisions, decisions... We bought this recipe postcard while on holiday in gorgeous Brittany, lovely and yummy memories!

Far Breton

this is truly a delicious and simple cake to prepare, the original recipe is from Brittany.

...and let's celebrate Mumsy's b'day with a homemade cake!

Happy Birthday Giulia, Awesome and Wonderful Mum!

Let's start with homemade meringues...

Slices of apples and petals

When I feel restless and lose my focus...

...I head towards the kitchen and bake a cake. Mom joins in also to help me choose the recipe and make sure all goes smoothly, the cake looks lovely, on top underneath the icing sugar you can spot slices of apples from the orchard and between two layers of dough we put some delicious apricot jam, alas it is not homemade.
The cake is still cooling off so we have decided to wait until tomorrow to taste it,... I don't usually sleepwalk, but I think I might tonight, and probably will go straight towards the kitchen.

Nine cookies baked on a Saturday afternoon....

I wonder how long they will last...

Apple cake take two

As I mentioned in the post below, Mumsy prefers this shot, I guess that it shows off better the texture, the details, and the cake's "yummy-ness"!

From the orchard....

Mumsy and I have been baking over the weekend: a very simple cake with cherries jam and some apples that fell from one of the apple trees in the orchard. Damsons are almost ready, so it is is nearly time to prepare some yummy jams!
I like this photo of the cake, but Mumsy prefers the one above,... and we both think that the cake is utterly delicious!

Icing sugar on the tiny star...

Mumsy and I love baking on Saturday afternoons; last Saturday we baked a Victoria sponge cake and this little cute star.

Apricot jam, whipped cream and some icing sugar...

During the black out...

...yesterday am we had no electricity for four hours, but we kept busy and our "plan B" was to try this recipe that involves left over panettone, ricotta cheese, chocolate chips and a generous sprinkle of Marsala wine. After an agonising wait, (the zuccotto had to settle in the freezer overnight), finally today at lunch we tucked in, (we behaved, we only had a fairly thin slice), and we were utterly please with the end result.

The recipe is very easy: slice the panettone, mix 500 gr. of ricotta cheese with 125 gr. caster sugar and 2 tablespoons of double cream. Then add the chocolate chips and raisins.

Get a glass bowl, put some cling film inside the bowl and make sure you leave enough cling film over the edge of the bowl because you will need to fold it over the bottom of the prepared zuccotto.
Now you are ready to start layering the base and all around with a first row of panettone, sprinkle with Marsala wine, or ideally with Vin Santo. Pour the ricotta cheese-sugar mix on top, then as you would do when preparing lasagna, add another layer of panettone, more Marsala sprinkled quite generously and again the ricotta cheese-sugar mix on top.

With the dome-like top of the panettone you seal the cake, press down firmly and hold it in place with something heavy. Put the zuccotto in the freezer for at least 12 hours.

When ready to serve, turn the glass bowl upside down on a plate, easy the zuccotto out of the glass bowl and sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Zuccotto is utterly delicious! Try it for yourselves and enjoy! Bon appetit!

We have been baking...

Mum and I have been busy baking and we simply love this cake mould! The cake itself is simple, sponge cake with some raisins and Marsala liqueur, definately yummy! We also baked a chocolate version: we poured melted milk cooking chocolate all over the petals, gorgeous!

Freshly baked!