December

It is time to start preparing for Christmas again. They say "the days are long, but the years are short" and this year that has been exactly the case. We are keeping the decorations minimal again this Christmas, tucked away from curious little hands. I doubt I'll get a chance to do much baking, but a couple of treats are still a must. Like these traditional puff pastry tarts filled with prune jam for which you can find an old recipe right here.

Easy Apple Tart with Vanilla Custard

We finally had some sun after a few days of rain and it was really warm sitting on the balcony soaking up the rays. A quick and easy apple tart with thick vanilla custard was a perfect afternoon treat for this Sunday. I don't remember making such an easy version of this classic favourite before; just mixing the ingredients in a bowl (no electric beaters or other special equipment needed) and laying apple slices on top. I always serve these types of cakes with vanilla custard (as we do in Finland), but you could substitute with good vanilla ice cream.

Easy Apple Tart with Vanilla Custard

(Recipe adapted from Kotivinkki)

230g plain flour

170g (raw) caster sugar

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon pure ground vanilla

100g butter, melted

200ml sour cream

3 apples, cored and sliced

 cinnamon, to taste

Vanilla Custard

250ml milk 

1 egg yolk

1/2 tablespoon potato flour*

1 tablespoon (raw) caster sugar

1/4  teaspoon pure ground vanilla

* potato starch is sold as potato flour in Australia.

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and grease a pie dish (25cm).

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and vanilla in a bowl. Add melted, cooled butter and sour cream and stir until smooth. Spread on the bottom and sides of the dish (wet spoon works well for this). 

3. Top the base with apple slices and sprinkle with cinnamon (and extra sugar if you wish).

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly before serving.

5. For the custard, add all ingredients to a saucepan and whisk well to combine. Place on medium heat, then whisk continuously until the mixture thickens. Take off the heat and serve warm with the apple tart.

Synttärileivokset - Birthday Cakes

We celebrated husband's birthday today with these little cakes. A simple Swiss roll filled with raspberry and apple jam, topped with vanilla flavoured cream and fresh strawberries. Perfect treat to end an unforgettable day.

Birthday Cakes

(makes about 10 individual cakes)

3 large or 4 small eggs

85g (raw) caster sugar

30g plain flour

35g potato flour*

1 teaspoon baking powder

150-200g raspberries

1 apple, peeled and grated

2 tablespoons (raw) caster sugar

300ml cream

pure ground vanilla

1 tablespoon (raw) caster sugar

fresh strawberries

*In Australia, potato starch is sold as potato flour. Available at Coles and most speciality stores. 

1. Preheat the oven to 225C and line a cookie tray (15cm x 10cm) with baking paper.

2. Beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients and gently add them through a sieve. Fold to combine. Pour the batter onto the tray and bake for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown.

3. Place a clean sheet of baking paper on the kitchen bench and sprinkle the paper with sugar. Turn the baked cake onto the paper and peel off the paper. 

4. Combine raspberries, apple and sugar and sieve to get rid of excess liquid. Spread the jam onto the cake, then roll tightly (using the paper) leaving the seam underneath. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or two. 

5. Flavour the cream with vanilla and sugar and whip to soft peaks. Cut the roll to pieces and top each piece with cream and strawberries. Serve immediately. The roll can be frozen (filled, not topped).

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. 

Hot Cross Buns

We woke up to a cooler morning this Good Friday, so it was a perfect time to bake a fresh batch of Hot Cross Buns. I followed this recipe almost to a T, with a few adaptations as marked below. They're a little time consuming to make, but well worth the effort. Hot Cross Buns are best eaten fresh and my husband likes to slather them with butter.

Wish you all a nice Easter long weekend!

 

 Hot Cross Buns

(recipe from taste.com.au)

(makes 12)

1 tablespoon dried yeast

1 teaspoon raw caster sugar

185ml warm milk (organic, full cream)

125ml cold milk (organic, full cream)

50g butter, melted (organic, unsalted)

1 egg, lightly whisked (large, free-range, organic)

525g plain flour

200g sultanas

70g raw caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground  cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

tiny pinch of salt

75g plain flour

5-6 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons raw caster sugar

1. Whisk dried yeast, sugar and warm milk in bowl. Leave for 10 minutes or until frothy. Whisk in cold milk, butter and egg.

2. Combine flour, sultanas, sugar, spices and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon, then knead with hand for about ten minutes until you get a smooth and elastic dough. 

3. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with tea towel and leave to double in size.

4. Shape the dough into buns. Punch down the dough, then knead for a couple of minutes and divide into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a smooth bun. Grease a 16cm x 26cm tin with butter and place the buns, side by side, into the tin. Cover the tin with a tea towel and leave for about half an hour.

5. Preheat oven to 200C. Combine flour and water in a bowl and whisk into a smooth paste. Spoon the paste into a piping bag and decorate the buns with a cross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes in 200C oven, then lower the heat to 160C and continue to bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.

6. Heat water and sugar in a small saucepan and let simmer for a few minutes until the syrup thickens. Brush the hot buns with the syrup and leave to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving.

 

Sweet Potato-Rye Rieska

Freshly baked sweet potato-rye rieska (Finnish flat bread) for breakfast on a Sunday is exactly what I wanted. Sun is peeking through the clouds after two days of rain, autumn is on its way. 

Hetkittäiseen Suomi-ikävään auttaa lähestulkoon aina leipominen. Uunituoreet bataatti-ruisrieskat sunnuntaiaamuna tulivat tarpeeseen. Aurinkokin pilkahtelee jo pilvien lomasta kahden sadepäivän jälkeen. Syksy on saapumassa Australiaan.

Sweet Potato Rye Rieska*

(makes 10 small breads)

(recipe from Ruoka Pirkka)

400g mashed sweet potato

1/2 teaspoon salt

about 140g rye flour

about 100g plain flour

1. Preheat oven to 225C and line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Add salt to mashed potato, add flour and mix until smooth. Using two spoons, scoop portions of the dough onto the trays. Flatten the breads with flour-dusted fingers. 

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes and serve warm with butter.

* Earlier flat bread recipes here and here.

Tiger Cake (Marble Cake)

I had a chance to bake some traditional cakes (knowing they'd get eaten) whilst my parents were visiting us the other week. Tiger cake, as it is known in Finland, didn't used to be my favourite growing up, but I've finally discovered the joy of these simple 'coffee cakes' Finns love so much.
It's these traditional recipes I'm most fond of: basic ingredients and no fancy machinery needed.

 Tiger Cake

200g butter (organic)

160g raw caster sugar

3 eggs (large, free-range, organic)

1/4 teaspoon pure ground vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

190g plain flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons milk (full cream, organic)

1. Beat soft butter and sugar in a bowl. Add eggs beating well after each addition. 

2. Mix vanilla, baking powder and flour in a separate bowl. Sieve this mixture into the same bowl with butter/eggs/sugar and fold carefully to combine. 

3. Take 1/3 of the mixture into another bowl. Add cocoa powder and milk and stir to combine. 

4. Pour 1/3 of the white mixture into a greased cake tin, add a layer of cocoa mixture in between and top with the rest of the dough. 'Prick' the dough with a fork to create the marbling. 

5. Bake in preheated oven (175C) for about 45-50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Karelian Pies ... and a winner!

I have been spoiled rotten for the past few days with gifts and treats from back home. My parents are in town and I have spend some quality time with them: doing DIY home-improvement with dad, baking with mum, and taking numerous coffee breaks in between. This kind of time with my parents is scarcer than hens teeth so I make sure to enjoy it while it lasts.

I told mum I had a hankering for traditional Karelian pies; those rye crusted pies filled with rice porridge and topped with a mixture of egg and butter. We decided to make them one morning and even though they mightn't be the prettiest, they were certainly as tasty as I remembered!

 

 Karelian Pies

(makes about 20)

300ml water

170g short-grain rice, rinsed

1 litre full-cream milk

pinch of salt

300ml water

about 250g rye flour

pinch of salt

50g butter

dash of milk

300ml water

3-4 hard-boiled eggs

100g soft butter

1. Start by making the porridge. Add water to a large pan and bring to boil. Add rice and cook for a couple of minutes. Add milk and bring to a soft boil. Let simmer for about 45 minutes. Add salt and let cool completely.

2. Combine water, salt and rye flour in a bowl. Knead lightly to make a smooth dough. Divide the dough in equal portions and flatten each portion to make a round disk. Cover the disks with cling to avoid drying. Roll one disk at a time into a thin (2-3mm thick) oval, spread a tablespoon of porridge onto the disk, then 'crinkle' the sides in the middle, using your thumb and index finger. Place the pies on baking trays lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven (225C) for about 15 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned.

3. Heat butter, milk and water in a saucepan. Dip each pie in the hot mixture and place in a large casserole (or similar) to soften. Use a fork to mix the eggs with soft butter and serve the pies topped with this mixture. These pies can be frozen (without the topping).

One final note: A big thank you for all those who entered the giveaway for Sarah's new book! I would have loved to give a copy for each one of you and it was simply too difficult to pick a winner just based on your comments so I ended up picking one randomly.

Congratulations Sarah! Here's her winning comment:

I really enjoyed reading your sugar-free journey and although I haven't been able to quite bite the bullet (yet!), I think this book would be a great guide and make the prospect a little less daunting. Our family has always enjoyed fresh, local and healthy food but we all have major sweet tooths, (cakes, biscuits, slices - our Achilles heal!). I think this book will prove to us that food, especially desserts, can still taste great without the white stuff, your rhubarb macaroon slice is already a regular rotation in our house. I also think quitting sugar will really help to clear my mind, recalibrate my palate and hopefully get rid of the horrible headaches I get.

Sarah, please email me your contact details at scandifoodie [at] gmail.com and I will post you the book!

Oat and Rosemary Cheese Biscuits

After a busy week I've been hit by an unexpected cold and was forced to take it easy this weekend. I've taken naps, done a couple of light strolls on the beach and enjoyed some much needed R&R.

These oat and rosemary cheese biscuits are perfect for a quiet weekend. In fact, they would not be out of place at a brunch, picnic or even when those unexpected guests drop by and you have nothing to offer.

Feel free to alter the ingredients to your liking; rolled spelt or rye instead of oats, different herbs (fresh or dry) and experiment with stronger/milder cheeses. These are a tasty little treat no matter what and packed with flavour.

Oat and Rosemary Cheese Biscuits

(makes 7-10)

(recipe inspired by Valio)

50g rolled oat/spelt/rye

1/2 tablespoon wholemeal flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 egg

25ml olive oil

50g grated cheese

pine nuts, poppy seeds or sesame seeds, to sprinkle (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 175C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk in the egg and the oil and add the cheese. Stir to combine.

3. Use a spoon to form the batter into disks, leaving space between each biscuit. Sprinkle with seeds, if you like. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until firm and golden. Enjoy warm.

Suklaaviipaleet - Chocolate Biscuit Slice

The festive season is moving in and I'm making the most of the cooler weather to bake treats for later. These chocolate biscuit slices are a childhood favourite and I am excited to share the recipe with you!

Pikkujoulukausi lähestyy, joten käytän viileämmät ilmat hyväksi leipomalla herkkuja valmiiksi pakastimeen. Suklaaviipaleet ovat lapsuusajan herkku joita ei ole tullut leivottua pitkään aikaan. Vihdoin sai herkutella näilläkin!

Chocolate Biscuit Slice
(recipe adapted from pirkka.fi)

150g (unsalted, organic) butter

75g raw caster sugar

35g raw vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons treacle or dark syrup
1 egg + 1 egg for brushing
210g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsweetened, dark cacao

pearl sugar, for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 175C and line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Beat soft butter, sugar and syrup until light and creamy. Beat in one egg, then add the mixed dry ingredients. Mix well to combine into a smooth dough. 

3. Divide the dough into four portions. Roll each portion into a long bar, then press slightly to flatten. Place the bars on baking trays (2 on each), brush with egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar. 

4. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately cut the bars into slices (diagonal shape is traditional for these biscuits), then leave to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, preferably in the freezer.

Mustikkakukko - Blueberry Rooster (Rye-Crusted Blueberry Pie)

There is something so comforting about familiar flavours. I cannot think anything more Finnish than rye and blueberries and this special treat combines the two in such a clever, delicious way. Blueberry Rooster, a rye-crusted blueberry pie, is quintessentially Finnish and takes me straight back to my home country.

Tutuista mauista syntyy parhainta lohturuokaa. Mustikkakukossa yhdistyvät kotoisat raaka-aineet mitä herkullisimmalla tavalla.

 Mustikkakukko

120g rye flour

50g raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

100g unsalted (organic) butter

350g blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons raw sugar

2 tablespoons potato flour (potato starch) 

1. Preheat oven to 200C and grease two small/medium size (or one bigger) oven dish.

2. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Add soft butter and rub it in to the flour-sugar mixture. Mix into a smooth dough.

3. Take 3/4 of the dough and press the dough on the bottom and the sides of the oven dish. Top with blueberries and sprinkle sugar and potato flour on top. Roll the rest of the dough into a round disk and place on top of the blueberries. Pinch the edges to seal the "lid". 

4. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, serve warm with ice cream or yoghurt.