Friday Cuppa

A cup of tea at my desk on a Friday afternoon. Sorry for the absence and silence here on the blog, I have had a lot on my mind lately and things are about to get a whole lot busier. I will try to update again soon to tell you more!

Have a nice weekend!

Arabia For Sale

Liekki by Arabia

Series RB by Ulla Procope

6 x ovenproof casseroles with lids
(10 cm diameter, 4 cm deep)

Price: 80AUD for the lot

Ruska by Arabia

4 x ovenproof ramekins
(10 cm diameter, 5 cm deep)

Price: 60AUD for the lot

If you are interested, please email me at scandifoodie @ gmail . com for more information.

Featured on the Good Food Channel

Hi all

Just a quick note to say that you can now find some of my recipes featured on the Good Food Channel's website. Check out the full range of recipes here. 

Wish you all a lovely weekend!

 

Weekend Wish

Wish you all a lovely weekend!

Ihanaa viikonloppua kaikille! 

Retro Mother's Day Cake

It was another warm and sunny day here on the Northern beaches of Sydney yesterday. We enjoyed a BBQ lunch on our balcony with my husband's parents and I had made this retro cake for dessert. My mum used to make these types of cakes for every birthday (or any other celebration) and I remember how much I loved them back then.

This cake, known simply as "täytekakku" (täyte=filling, kakku=cake), is made of a sponge cake, cut in layers, filled with fruit and topped with whipped cream and fruit (mum would sometimes use lollies for kids' birthday cakes). Like most Finnish desserts, it is not overly sweet and despite the cream topping, it's not heavy at all. 

As you can see, I went all out with 80's style fruit decorations and even added a colourful tray. I am definitely not one to make fiddly fondant decorations, but cutting up fruit and sticking them in cream even I can handle. This cake was as tasty as I remembered from my childhood and a perfect dessert for such a nice day.

Täytekakku

4 large eggs

185g caster sugar

130g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2-3 big tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon pineapple juice

1 banana

1 x tin pineapple pieces

1 x tin sliced peaches, cut in small pieces

300ml cream

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1/4 teaspoons ground vanilla or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

fruit of choice for decoration

1. Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and add to egg-sugar mixture through a sieve. Gently stir to combine. Pour the mixture to a greased and floured tin and bake in 175C for 25-30 minutes.

2. Cut the cooled down cake in 3 layers. Moisten the first two layers with apple sauce and pineapple juice mixture OR with plain milk. Top these two layers with mashed banana, pineapple and peach mixture and place the final layer on top.

3. Sweeten the cream with sugar and vanilla and whip until soft, but stiff enough to stay on the cake. Spread the cream all over the cake and decorate with fruit. Store in the fridge before serving. 

Marinated Fennel and Pear Salad

I finally had a chance to try lemon and olive oil marinated fennel, highly recommended by a friend who also happens to be one of my favourite bloggers. I love fennel as it is, but the simple marinade of lemon and olive oil truly take it to a whole new level. I whipped up a quick lunch by adding baby spinach leaves (but you could use rocket, if you have it), thinly sliced pear and macadamia nuts to fennel I had marinated for a couple of hours in the fridge.

Marinated Fennel and Pear Salad

(serves 2)

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 lemon, juiced

2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pear, thinly sliced

baby spinach or rocket leaves

macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

1. Add fennel, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Toss to combine and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

2. To serve, simply toss the marinated fennel with the rest of the ingredients.

First of May

 Happy 1st of May!

Hauskaa vappua!