Red, White and Blue 3-Tier Birthday Cake

I might be a little bit early with the red, white & blue theme, since the 4th of July is still weeks away, but I love the 3 colors together. I made a birthday cake for my little brother (and secretly my favorite, shhhh, don't tell my other brothers!). Homage to our dual nationalties: Dutch & American, I made the cake a little bit patriotic. Red, white & blue is the Dutch flag, but also represent the U.S. of course.

I used a Silikomart 3-tier cake mold. I think it's actually meant for wedding cakes, but birthdays are more frequent, and thus, it's an excuse to make a 3-tier cake more often. The silicone pans worked really well. Although the cake looks humongous, it actually only required 1 cake recipe. The silikomart 3-tier cake mold is a really good tool for making a cake special. I'll definitely be using it more often. Next time, I'm making the 3-tier cake a bit more sophisticated. I have a flower cake in mind... Bring on the icing! Rating: 5 out of 5.






You can use any cake recipe you like, I used a vanilla cake recipe by Magnolia Bakery and added red and blue food coloring to the batter, and trimmed the top before icing it.

Vanilla cake recipe.
Buttercream frosting recipe.


And to make the cake extra kitsch... red, white & blue on the inside as well!

Caribbean Rum Punch

A few weeks ago I blogged about one of my dream destinations Turks & Caicos
on the other blog.

I featured this delectable photo and recipe for a Turks & Caicos-inspired rum punch.
I've been dreaming of drinking a rum-filled liquid like it ever since!

So, I decided to make it myself!
My logic works in a way that if I already own at least 1 ingredient for a cocktail, it's worth making!
Never mind I still needed to buy 4 other ingredients... But it was worth it!


To make your own Turks & Caicos-inspired rum punch, you need:
- 3 ounces fresh pineapple juice
- 2 ounces fresh orange juice
- 1 ounce gold (or dark) rum + 1/2 ounce to pour on top
- 1 ounce coconut rum,
- grenadine
- lime to garnish

In a cocktail shaker, or whatever you have near hand that you can mix these juices in, shake the pineapple juice, orange juice, 1 ounce rum, coconut rum and ice cubes together. Pour the juice in a glass. Add a shot of grenadine and watch it sink to the bottom. Gently pour the remaining rum on top, and add a lime wedge for garnish. Drink up!


Tastes like the perfect beginning of a wonderful Summer!

Creamy, Dreamy Key Lime Pie

Some recipes become an unexpected hit! As the only citrus-lover in my family, I expected to nomnom this pie all by myself. Which, I'm not complaining about. But food is meant for sharing so I planned on taking the pie to my work and perhaps recrute some other lime-lovers like myself. Jamie Oliver's recipe turned out to be loved by everyone, even family members! So half of the pie was eaten at work, and the other half at home. The custard of this recipe only required 3 ingredients: key lime juice, condensed milk and egg yolks. The easiest, yet best key lime pie I've ever made! Or better yet, ever ate! Rating: 5 out of 5.




Key Lime Pie: Jamie Oliver Magazine

Ingredients:
- 4 egg yolks
- 400ml condensed milk
- 6 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 5 limes’ worth)
- 200ml double cream
- Lime zest (optional), to serve

- 12 digestive biscuits (I used a Nilla Wafer crust)
- 45g caster sugar
- 135g melted unsalted butter

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 175C/350F/gas 3. For the pie crust, lightly grease a 22cm (across the top) metal or glass pie dish with a little of the melted butter. Blend digestive biscuits, caster sugar and remaining melted butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Transfer to pie dish and spread over the bottom and up the sides, firmly pressing the mixture down. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place dish on a wire rack to cool.
- For the filling, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. Gradually whisk in condensed milk until smooth. Mix in lime juice, then pour filling into pie crust and level over with the back of a spoon.
- Return to the oven for 15 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. (I put it into the freezer for a quick cooling, about an hour)
- To serve, whip cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Add dollops of cream to the top of the pie, and grate over some lime zest, for extra zing.


I couldn't disguise my true feelings about this pie:

Peach Melba

Lately I've been re-baking a lot of old recipes that have been featured on the blog before. I've made Oatmeal Blondies, Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies and Heavenly Buttermilk Cakes. They're great, easy recipes that a lot of family members ask for. So I've been baking a lot, but blogging less (since I don't want to feauture the same recipe twice).

Yesterday I did try a new recipe! Only, it was in the spur of the moment at a friend's house so I didn't take any pictures. Yesterday was one of the first days the sun came out this year. In the mood for a light, fruity dessert we decided to make a classic Peach Melba. I've seen Nigella Lawson's tutorial on how to make it numerous of times, but I've never made it up until now.

Any video of Nigella preparing food will win me over to make it myself. I'm only sad that I haven't made this recipe sooner. The cooked peaches, the luscious ice cream (we used lemon sorbet) and the fire-red raspberry sauce, was such a wonderful delight at the end of a sunny day. The flavors tasted very pure. Rating: 5 out of 5.




Have Nigella convince you in the video above!

"Look at these... Naked and blushing."



Ingredients for the Peaches:
- 3 cups water
- 3 ½ cups sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 8 peaches

Raspberry Sauce:
- 3 cups raspberries
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

To serve:
1 large tub vanilla ice

Instructions:
- Put the water, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla pod into a wide saucepan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Bring the pan to the boil and let it bubble away for about 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to a fast simmer.
- Cut the peaches in half, and if the stones come out easily then remove them, if not then you can get them out later. Poach the peach halves in the sugar syrup for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Test the cut side with the sharp point of a knife to see if they are soft, and then remove them to a plate with a slotted spoon.
- When all the peaches are poached, peel off their skins and let them cool (then you can remove any remaining stones). If you are making them a day in advance then let the poaching syrup cool and then pour into a dish with the peaches. Otherwise just bag up the syrup and freeze it for the next time you poach peaches.
- To make the raspberry sauce, liquidize the raspberries, confectioners' sugar, and lemon juice in a blender or a food processor. Sieve to remove the pits and pour the puree into a jug.
- To assemble the Peach Melba, allow 2 peach halves per person and sit them on each plate alongside a scoop or 2 of ice cream. Spoon the raspberry sauce over each.


I have a few extra peaches at hand, does anyone know a great recipe for them?

Turkish Delight in Turkey!

So my adventerous life took me to Turkey.
I attended a psychology congress, combining work with pleasure.

I flew to Izmir, which is the third largest city in Turkey.
My hotel was in a region called Özdere, by the sea.

My hotel was amazing!
When travelling to a non-Western country, I always advice to book
at least a 4 or 5-star hotel, as the rating system can differ from
country to country and you might find yourself in a yucky hotel.





Onyria Claros Beach & Spa Resort...







My accomodation was the top floor of a bungalow, and this was my view each morning.







The swimming pools were closeby.





As well as the beach.







The hotel had lovely surroundings.







A day on exursion led me to see the ruins nearby.





And the food was enjoyed with a great view, company and taste!


HOSCAKAL,

Daniëlle

My Mother's Favorite Cake

You'd think with Mother's Day I would go all out with baking and decorating,
making some fancy beautiful cake, like the one that is this week's recipe for the week,
the hydrangea cake (see sidebar).

But my mother requested just a simple cake which is still, after 5 years,
her favorite: Nigella Lawson's Buttermilk Cake.




I've made it so many times.
I could offer many delicious Mother Day's ideas on what to bake, but I'll let you
browse through my Flickr collection, here, and you can pick your favorite to make yourself.

I've been horribly sick this week, but I wanted to show you some of my Queen's Day
pictures in Amsterdam:
Pictures of my week in Turkey are following soon!






And some random food porn from last week:




Hehehe.

Cheers! Daniëlle

Orange Queen's Day Cupcakes!

April 30th, otherwise known as Queen's Day in The Netherlands, is always a festive celebration. But this year, it's even more special because our Queen Beatrix, is descending from her throne and her son, Willem-Alexander will become our new King! We haven't had a King since 1890. He and his Argentinian wife, Maxima and their three daugthers will lead new the monarchy in Holland.




Normally I don't really care much for Queen's Day. But I'm actually heading to Amsterdam this year to celebrate it all day long. Amsterdam is turned into a sea of orange! Everyone dresses up in orange clothing, wears orange hats, carries red-white-blue flags, and is cheerful (read: drunk). I'm still debating whether to wear a traditional Dutch dress, or to go full out on accessories. I bought an orange tiara, red-white-blue nails, and have plenty of other things to wear! I might show you a picture later on.




But for now, I baked these cheerful bright orange cupcakes to get in the mood! I used my go-to cupcake recipe from Magnolia Bakery, added orange zest and rubbed it together with the sugar. Added fresh orange juice from 1 orange to the batter, and made orange-flavored buttercream frosting. I decorated them with special Queen's Day sugar toppings and orange cupcake liners which I bought at the Xenos (Dutchies will know ;). Rating: 5 out of 5!




Orange Cupcakes: adapted from 'The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook'

Ingredients: makes 24 cupcakes, you can halve if you want to
- 1 ½ cup self-rising flour
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest from 2 oranges, chopped finely
- fresh juice squeezed from 2 oranges

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
- In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Mix the sugar and orange zest together in a small bowl, and rub the sugar with your fingers until it is very orange. Add the orange-sugar gradually to the butter and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk mixed together with the vanilla and orange juice. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.


The fruity first bite made Summer all the more real to me.
Orange is such a perfect flavor for Queen's Day!




The sugar toppings include: a 'W' for Willem-Alexander, red-white-blue tulips, a Queen's tiara,
the Dutch flag & orange flowers á la Keukenhof.




For other Dutch-inspired to make for Queen's Day, check out these Stroopwafel Cupcakes or this Dutch Apple Pie!

A Short Break...

Hello readers!

I'm leaving for Izmir, Turkey till Sunday the 28th.
After that, I'm showing how Dutch people celebrate Queen's Day.
And what kind of awesome cupcakes I baked for the occasion!

Till then,
Daniëlle

Fruity Pineapple Cake

Hello! Looks like Spring is finally arriving! I sat outside last Sunday the entire day and soaked up some sun. I was quite frankly, desperate for it. I mentioned to my mother that the first rays of sun bring out Dutch people so pale, they look like Twilight vampires sparkling in the sun. It also fills up the outside terraces and cafés, and makes it acceptable to order cocktails and wine before noon. For me, it's mostly an excuse to make fruity desserts.

I received a bright yellow Bundt cake pan from Silikomart. The shape reminded me of a combination between a pineapple and a flower. What do you make of it? Well, I went with the pineapple-part and made a luscious, moist pineapple cake. It's actually quite hard to find a pineapple cake recipe that doesn't use coconut. I took a Martha Stewart recipe and made it my own by omitting the coconut and sour cream, and adding fresh pineapple juice and chunks to the cake batter. A wonderful fruity cake came out of the oven that made me long for Summer even more!




Fruity Pineapple Cake: Martha Stewart's coconut-pineapple loaf cake

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, save the juice

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a cake pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low, and alternately add flour mixture in three parts and pineapple juice in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).
- Using a rubber spatula, fold pineapple into batter. Spoon into prepared pan, and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes (cover pan with foil halfway through). Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


The Silikomart pineapple Bundt pan. I'm not actually sure if it's a pineapple or a flower. On second thought, it might be a flower.
But the bright yellow color mislead me for thinking it's a pineapple-shaped pan.

Vote!

A little explanation on the options:
- Chocolates: molding Belgian chocolate into cute and delicious shapes.
- I 'Heart' Cupcakes: heart-topped cupcakes made from pink fondant.
- Fruity Pineapple: a luscious pineapple cake baked in a pineapple-shaped Bundt tin.