Pear frangipane tart

pear-frangipane-tart

If you ever wondered how to cram as much butter in a cake per cubic centimeter, wonder no more.

This recipe is based on a cake presented by Michel Roux Jr. on the BBC show Food and Drink. I suppose Michel Roux was targeting the Brit’s soft spot for preserved fruits when he constructed the recipe. But for me, the more intriguing part of the recipe was the French bit: frangipane and shortcrust pastry.

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A flower bouquet, my way

apple-rose-heart

It makes me very happy to stumble upon a cake recipe that is both stunning and simple to make. It is not that I do not enjoy a challenge—on the contrary—but the beauty of simplicity is something I can readily appreciate. My Mom found this recipe on Youtube: it is not unusual that there is something useful in the 300 hours of video that are uploaded every minute. When my Dad sent me the photos and the link, I was hooked: I do not remember the last time I was so thrilled by a recipe, so it did not take long for the first try.

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Lamingtons aka. čupavci

cupavci

It seems that Australia claims this recipe as its own; there, these small coconut dredged cakes are known as lamingtons. In Croatia, we have a similar cake—and when I say similar, I mean the same—and we call it čupavci. The Croatian version I know does not have a chocolatey centre, but the lamington version that I found does, so I decided to give it a go.

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Međimurska gibanica

medjimurska-gibanica

While I was living in Croatia, this was my favourite cake ever. Period. And it is only now that I decided to make it. Perhaps it is a touch of nostalgia for my home country, perhaps coincidence. In any case, we now have a recipe for a really traditional and beloved cake.

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Danube waves (Donauwellen)

I will now post a recipe for a cake I made, but without a picture. *ghasp*

And it is not because the cake is not pretty: simply, when I cut it up and packaged to take to work, I did not have the presence of mind to take some photos.

I am sure I will be making another iteration of it, as the boyfriend did not try it, and I am positive he would like it. So there will be a photo opportunity yet.

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Blueberry hand pies

blueberry-hand-pie

Blueberries are coming back in season. It’s now that time of the year when you don’t have to decide whether to buy 100 g of blueberries or your next meal; you can purchase both. As the summer gets closer, blueberries will not only become cheaper, they will be more flavourful as well. I cannot wait any more, so I have decided to try my hand at making the blueberry hand pies. Hand… get it? Oh, I crack myself up.

Seriously, now.

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