Wednesday 29 May 2013

Vanilla Blueberry Cake



Last weekend I went to a charity coffee morning, dedicated to the MS Society. Everyone had a slice of cake and enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee or tea.
When I had to think of what dessert to make and bring over, I figured everyone likes vanilla and berries, so I went ahead and made a delicious combo of these two ingredients.

The cake by itself is amazingly delicious but when topped with the crumb topping it's definitely taken to the next level!! The crunchiness of the topping goes really well with the moist cake, which is perfect when enjoying it with a cup of coffee.



All I can say is that this was an absolute winner and people kept coming for more. Make it the next time you have visitors over... I promise you won't regret it!!


Ingredients:

For the cake mixture:

- 300g plain flour
- 2tsp baking powder
- 1/2tsp baking soda
- 1/2tsp salt
- 135g sugar
- 3tsp vanilla extract
- 1 heaped tbs sour cream (ricotta works too)
- 250ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 125g butter, at room temperature
- 375g fresh blueberries

For the crumb topping:

- 50g white sugar
- 50g brown sugar
- 2tbs plain flower
- 1/4tsp cinnamon
- 3tbs cold butter

Process:

- Preheat your oven to 190 C degrees and grease a spring form pan.
- In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Take two tbs of this mixture and toss with the blueberries to ensure they stay all over the cake, otherwise they'll drown to the bottom. Then, set aside.
- In another bowl mix the butter, sugar, eggs, milk, sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry to the wet ingredients, mix well and then carefully fold in the blueberries. Pour this mixture in the greased pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add all the crumb topping ingredients and mix them well together. Sprinkle on top of the cake batter. Bake for 60min, let cool completely end enjoy!

Saturday 11 May 2013

Grilled Chicken Salad




I love the freshness of spring!! Veggies are in season, the farmer's market is full of people and the best of all... You can't wait to get home and make some fresh salad!!

Monday 6 May 2013

Rice & Chicken (Oriz so Kokoska)

I've been loving this meal ever since I was past the baby food stage. No kidding! :-) There is a rice and chicken meal in almost every culture around the world, but since I grew up with the one that's common in Macedonia, it would have to be my favourite. My grandma makes it, my mum makes it, so that's why I make it now :-) And every time it brings back memories and puts me into my comfort zone :-)


Sunday 5 May 2013

Easy Chocolate Fondant



The best thing to do when hosting a dinner party is to prepare things in advance. That way you have the time to spend time with your guests and still wow them when it's dessert time. This chocolate fondant idea came about when my mum mentioned how it's one of her favourite sweet treats, so my husband rolled up his sleeves and buckled down the recipe. It's super easy, simple, yet it makes for a delicious and comforting treat. The reaction on everyone's face as the gooey chocolate comes out is priceless :)