On our trip to Dresden last weekend went past a cookie factory, lol. I am pretty sure this was no accident. :D
This shop was full of cookies, meringues and bars. This is just what I thought the land of milk and honey would be like.
Shelves with tons of cookies… Mhhhh… It is so hard to choose!
Oh and there was also stuff for our vegan, gluten-free and egg-free friends.
Imagine this large bowl full of cookie dough! (Placed my brother next to it to give you an idea of its size.)
These yould have been cute for Valentine’s Day… Should remember this.
And this is what I bought: A cookie with the sillouhette of the church in Dresden, its trade mark. Cookie cutters of other sights would be so great…
How can you make a cake look attractive to kids? Sprinkles is the answer. I cannot really explain to myself why so many people love these tiny coloured bits of sugar, but it is a fact. Well, these cuties have been dipped into chocolate and then into a large amount of sprinkles. They are ridiculously easy to make and are done in no time.
I hope my cousins we are visiting today will like them. :)
Sprinkle muffins
(makes about 16)
225 g (1 5/8 cup – 8 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
125 g (1/2 cup – 4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
175 g (7/8 cup – 6 oz) white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
3 large eggs, room temperature
80 ml (1/3 cup) whipping cream, room temperature
180 g (6 oz.) chocolate
lots of sprinkles
Preheat the oven to 170° C (325° F). Oil a muffin pan or lay out with paper molds.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl.Set aside until needed.
In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, until fluffy and white. Add vanilla. Add one egg at a time and whisk in between until fully incorporated. Now add the dry ingredients while you continue to mix. Stir in the whipping cream. Do not overbeat.
Fill the dough into the molds until they are 2/3 full. Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpicker comes out clean. Let the muffins cool completely.
Melt the chocolate, dip each muffin first in chocolate, then in sprinkles. Let the chocolate harden, then have a bite.
Muffin recipe adapted from Cake Journal
Yay! The second surprise-on-the-inside-cake. Found the idea on pinterest and knew this would be the cake for my bf’s mother’s birthday.
The butterflies I made of basic white cake, baked in a rectangular pan and cut out with a cookie cutter. Then I made a brownie dough and put the butterflies inside. The cake is topped with a mascarpone and raspberry cream, then covered with beaten heavy cream.
So proud of this flower I made of fondant and the paper wire butterfly. :P
Find the instructions for this cake below and a tutorial with pictures for the surprise effect here.
Butterfly Inside Cake
white cake:
250 g (2 sticks + 1 tbsp) butter, room temperature
200g (1 cup – 1 tbsp) sugar
4 eggs
300 g (2 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
Whisk together the flour baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F).
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl, until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and stir until fully incorporated. Now add the dry ingredients and stir until the dough is smooth.
Transfer the mixture into a rectangular pan lined with a baking sheet 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16´´) and bake about 15 minutes until a toothpicker comes out clean. Let cool then cut out butterflies with a cookie cutter.
brownie cake:
225 g (2 sticks) butter
300 g (1 1/3 cup) sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
85 g (3/4 cup) dark cocoa powder
120 g (1 cup) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Melt the butter in a microwave. Combine with sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and stir in vanilla. Sift together all dry ingredients and stir them in.
Put 1/3 into a round pan 26 cm (10´´). Place the butterfliec in a circle into the mass. Pour the rest of the dough on top.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpicker comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
topping:
250 g (8 oz.) mascarpone
120 g (4 oz.) fresh raspberries
5 tbsp. powdered sugar (or to taste)
250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
Beat raspberries, mascarpone and powdered sugar until the cream is smooth. Spread on top of the cooled cake and let cool in the refridgerator for at least 2 hours.
Beat heavy cream until stiff and cover the cake.
Decorate as you like.