Bajadera Reindeers

Bajadera is always a fantastic, last second idea which always works and always tastes delicious :)

I do recommend them, especially when you have no time and your oven is tired ;) it doesn't require baking ;) I do apologize for the bad quality of the picture, so let me say that the taste and children's smiles will make it up to You :)
Another wonderful use of bajadera, a little bit easier than reindeers, but also Christmas-themed You can find here.

Quite changed recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients:

Base:

• 400g of dried pound cake (preferably lemon or vanilla flavoured)
• 120g of mascarpone cheese
• 80g of nutella
• 350g of milk chocolate
• favourite mincemeat (including for example nuts, almonds; or baking cocoa)

Reindeers:

body parts:

• nose: 1 pack of red small round sprinkles, 
• horns: 1 pack of pretzels, cut into halves, 
• eyes: frosting deco pens
• some small plastic sticks
• ribbons for decoration

Optional ingredients:

• 10-25ml of Rum
• dried fruit - but in very small pieces

Preparation:

1. If your pound cake isn't dried enough, it is a good idea to crumble it into very small pieces and put it in the preheated oven(over 180C) for a couple of minutes.
2. Take a mixer and it's bowl. Put mascarpone cheese and nutella inside. Mix till smooth.
3. Put dried pound cake to the bowl and mix everything till smooth. 
4. Here is the time to add and mix optional ingredients if desired.
5. Cover with foil and cool down in the freezer for 45 minutes.
6. During that time, prepare a rectangular bakewell pan or loaf tin or - something that you can put in your freezer. Put some baking paper on its bottom (if You have a sponge suitable for making cake pops - use it here).
7. Take the dough out from the freezer and start making small balls, put each of them in previously prepared pan/tin.
8. Put back in the freezer for another 15 minutes.
9. During that time, take a pot, put chocolate (in small pieces) inside and melt on a very low heat.
10. Dip 1/3-1/2 of every stick in the melted chocolate and put in the middle of every ball.
11. Put it back in the freezer for another 20-30 minutes.
12. Prepare a sponge (to dig reindeers in it) and elements of decoration around you.
13. Take one ball from the freezer, dip in the chocolate, so that it covers the entire ball, take out, wait till the excess of chocolate falls down.
14. As the ball is very cold, the chocolate will stiffen on it very fast, so as soon as you take it out from the pot, decorate it, starting with horns and dig it in the sponge.
15. Repeat with all the balls.
16. At the end, decorate with ribbons.
17. Store them in the fridge.
18. Bon Appetit! ;)

Raspberry Charlotte Cake

This perfect cake has only perfect advantages :) perfectly literally! :) It is perfect for a gift, it looks gorgeous, tastes wonderfully, it is extremely easy to make and doesn't require using an oven :)

The recipe, slightly changed, comes from this website.

Notes:

• Prepare this cake at least an evening earlier as it needs to stiffen in the fridge for a good few hours.
• Please note that You need to use 16cm springform cake pan, unless the cake will be destroyed.
• Make sure your springform pan is perfectly clean and do not use baking paper, as it will stick to the raspberry foam, get moist and after all, you'd end up with another cake layer, made of baking paper.

Ingredients:

• 200 g of Savoiardi/ladyfingers (around the cake)
• red, forest fruit (top)

Raspberry mousse (bottom):

• 350g of raspberries (fresh or frozen - if so, defrost)
• lemon juice from 1/2 of lemon
• 1/3 glass of sugar
• 2,5 teaspoon of powdered gelatin
• 200ml of 36% cream, cool

Raspberry cream:

• 250g of mascarpone cheese, cool 
• 150ml of 36% cream, cool
• 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 1,5 teaspoon of powdered gelatin + 30ml of hot milk
• 150g of raspberries (fresh or frozen - if so, defrost)

Preparation:

Raspberry mousse:

• Take a pot, put raspberries, lemon juice and sugar inside. Bring to boil, stiring from time to time.
• Sieve, to get a mousse without small seeds. 
• Dissolve gelatin in a small amount (a tiny little bit, just to cover the gelatin) of boiling water, stir so that it melts completely. 
• Bring the mousse to boil again and add previously prepared gelatin. Stir precisely. Set aside, it needs to cool down completely.

When cooled down:

1. Prepare a clean springform cake pan and keep it handy.
2. Beat 36% cream for around 5-7 minutes with a mixer (till the whipped cream is stiff). Stop mixing and slowly, spoon after spoon, add cooled down mousse. Stir gently, till it all links.
3. Pour the mousse to the springform. Cover for with foil and put in the fridge to let it stiffen for few hours.

When ready, prepare raspberry cream::

1. Take a small bowl/pot, put 30ml of milk inside, heat till hot. Add 1,5 teaspoon of powdered gelatin and stir till it melts completely. Set aside so that it cools down.
2. Take another bowl suitable for mixing and put mascarpone, 36% cream and powdered sugar inside. Beat till stiff. Add raspberries and cooled down gelatin(melted in milk). Mix till everything links.
3. Put on the top of the cake, distribute equally all over. 
4. Cool down in the fridge for another few hours.

Finishing:

1. When stiff, take out from the fridge. Using a knife, cut the cake around, very close to the sides of the springform, to make taking it out from the springform easier. 
2. Take ladyfingers, stick them around the cake (the mousse is sticky, ladyfingers will stick easily).
3. Take a ribbon, decorate the cake with it, tying it around the cake.
4. Decorate the top of the cake with (preferably) forest fruit.
5. Store in the fridge.
6. Bon Appetit! :)

Raspberry Buns

Absolutely stunning! Best buns I've ever eaten! Soft, moist, sweet raspberries plus mascarpone cheese make a wonderful couple if it comes to the taste and the overall effect is outrageous :) Perfect for breakfast, lunch, either at home or at work/school. A definite must-bake :) A big thanks to Deliciouslyyum for the recipe!

If You need a converter, feel free to use this one.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 cup of milk
• 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 1/4 – 3 1/2 cups of flour, divided
• 1 package of instant yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 egg

Filling:

• 8 oz. of mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 12 oz. of raspberries (if frozen, need to be defrost and dried on a paper towel)
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• zest of 1 lemon

Icing:

• 1 and 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoons of milk

Preparation:

Dough:

1. Take a baking tray, grease and put baking paper all over it. Set aside.
2. Take a bowl (suitable to put in a microwave or on the stove), put milk and butter inside and heat till the butter is almost melted and the milk is warm. Stir till the butter is completely melted. Set aside. 
3. Take a big bowl (you can do it using a stand mixer if it is suitable to knead the dough), put 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt inside. Stir, so that it mixes.
4. Add the egg and milk to the dry mix and continue stirring until thoroughly combined. Start kneading for at least few minutes (till the douhg starts pulling away from the sides) and add remaining flour. 
5. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes. 
6. Cover the bowl with dough with a dry, clean cloth and put in a warm place (do not leave it near an open window, even if it is hot outside). Leave it for at least 10 minutes or until it doubles its size.
7. During that time, prepare the filling.

Filling&Dough:

1. Take a bowl, put mascarpone cheese, 3 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla extract inside. Set aside.
2. Take another bowl, put frozen raspberries, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and cornstarch inside, mix. Set aside as well.

1. When the dough is ready, sprinkle kitchen's surface with flour and roll it out until you get a 12 x 14 inches rectangle. 
2. Distribute mascarpone cheese mixture evenly over the dough. Put raspberry mixture on top and sprinkle with lemon zest. 
3. Now, time to roll the dough up - starting with one of the longer's side, roll the dough into a log. Close the sides very precisely so that the filling doesn't come out. 
4. Cut into slices (around 2-3 cm thick) and put them on previously prepared baking tray, leaving some space between them (the buns will rise again). Cover again with a clean kitchen cloth. Set aside in a warm place for at least 30 minutes (or till it doubles its size again). 
5. During that time, start preheating the oven to 180C. 
6. Bake the buns for around 20 minutes (or until the tops are golden brown).
7. Now, it is a good time, to prepare the icing.

Icing:

1. Mix confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla and milk. 
2. When the buns are ready, take them out from the oven, let them cool down for a while and distribute the icing all over their tops.
3. Keep closed for max 3 days or store closed in the freezer for maximum 3 weeks.
4. Bon Appetit! ;)

Mascarpone Pancakes

That's a very tasty idea, for instance for those of you who don't eat meat on friday or enjoy eating something cruelly sweet while drinking coffee ;)

Ingredients:

Pancakes:

• 160g of flour
• 300ml of 3,2% milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoon of sugar
• 16g of vanilla sugar
• pinch of salt
• 30g of melted, cooled down butter

Filling (optional):

• 250g of mascarpone cheese + 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• chocolate and caramel sauces
• almonds
• fruit

Preparation:

1. Take a mixer and its bowl. 
2. Put flour, milk, eggs, sugars and salt inside, mix till smooth.
3. Add melted butter, mix till smooth again. Put aside.
4. Take another bowl. Put mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar inside. Mix with a fork or spoon, gently, a little.
5. Take a quite big frying pan(flat one, preferably), grease it with oil, and using a paper towel, distribute the oil on the entire frying pan.
6. Turn on the heat so that it heats up.
7. Put some dough on the pan and distribute it immidiately on the entire frying pan, to make a thin pancake.
8. Fry for few minutes on both sides.
9. Put the pancake on a plate.
10. Distribute mascarpone mixture on the entire pancake surface. Add caramel sauce.
11. Fold the sides of the pancake, then its bottom and at the end the top.
12. Overturn. Decorate with chocolate sauce, almonds, fruit.
13. Bon Appetit!

Bajadera

Bajadera. What is it? Well - that's a fantastic, last second idea which always works, always tastes delicious as it is chocolate sweet, soft and moist. 

I do recommend, especially when you have no time and your oven is tired as it is a non-baking recipe ;)
But - if You have time and enjoy baking, decorating, creating sweet wonders - see also Bajadera Reindeers.

Quite changed recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients:

• 400g of dried pound cake (preferably lemon or vanilla flavoured)
• 120g of mascarpone cheese
• 80g of nutella
• 350g of milk chocolate
• favourite mincemeat (including for example nuts, almonds; or  baking cocoa)
• some plastic small sticks
• sprinkles for decoratation

Optional ingredients:

• 10-25ml of Rum
• dried fruit - but in very small pieces

Preparation:

1. If your pound cake isn't dried enough, it is a good idea to crumble it into very small pieces and put it in the preheated oven(over 180C) for a couple of minutes.
2. Take a mixer and it's bowl. Put mascarpone cheese and nutella inside. Mix till smooth.
3. Put dried pound cake to the bowl and mix everything till smooth. 
4. Here is the time to add and mix optional ingredients if desired.
5. Cover with foil and cool down in the freezer for 45 minutes.
6. During that time, prepare a rectangular bakewell pan or loaf tin or - something that you can put in your freezer. Put some baking paper on its bottom.
7. Take the dough out from the freezer and start making small balls, put each of them in previously prepared pan/tin.
8. Put back in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
9. During that time prepare small paper muffin cases and sprinkles around you.
10. Also, take a pot, put chocolate (in small pieces) inside and melt on a very low heat.
11. Take one ball from the freezer, dip 1/3 of a stick inside a ball and dip in the chocolate, so that it covers the entire ball, take out from the chocolate, wait till the excess of chocolate falls down.
12. As the ball is very cold, the chocolate will stiffen on it very fast, so as soon as you take it out from the chocolate pot, take out the stick, put it on a muffin case and decorate.
13. Store finished bajaderas in the fridge.
14. Bon Appetit! ;)

Orange-Chocolate Cheesecake

I was pretty unsure about this Cheesecake as I was doing it completely on my own and I was afraid of many, many things. But... I served it and all the guests were stunned! Asking where did I buy it. And they were even more shocked when I told them that I did it on my own :) And everyone, literally, everyone asked for the recipe! That's the best award I could have got for that cheesecake :) So now I'm sharing the secret for a perfect Christmas Cheesecake with You :) 
Some details: This cheesecake has a consistency of a mousse, so it melts on a palate, it's quite refreshing, because of oranges and what is its biggest advantage - it's easy and quick to prepare, because without turning on the oven ;) Enjoy! :)

Bottom of the cake:

• 200g of chocolate shortbread-like biscuits
• 80-100g of melted butter

Cheesecake: (all the ingredients must be in a room temperature except for water)

• 500g of cheesecake cheese (might be vanilla flavoured)
• 250g of mascarpone cheese
• 250ml of 36% cream
• 100-140g of powdered sugar* 
• 1/2-1 teaspoon of orange extract
• 100g of orange skin
• 40g of powdered gelatin
• 140 ml of boiling water

Decoration:

• Orange slices
• Icing sugar
• Star anise

*About the powdered sugar: here are two nice propositions. First one, is to add a lot of powdered sugar to the cheesecake - around this 140g. If so, the cheesecake mousse is really sweet. But, it is also a good idea, to add only around 90-100g of powdered sugar and after the cake is done, to distribute Royal Icing(recipe is here) on the top of the cake.

Preparation:

Bottom:

1. Take a springform cake tin. 
2. Put baking paper on the bottom of the tin.
3. Take the cookies and crumble them on a very small, sand-like pieces.
4. Mix precisely with butter. It needs to have a consistency of a wet sand.
5. Put in a tin, align, make smooth, knead.
6. Put in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Cheesecake:

1. In a glass, mix gelatin with hot water and stir till gelatin melts completely. Put aside so that it cools down.
2. Take a mixer and its bowl. Put cheesecake cheese inside, add mascarpone, cream and mix till completely smooth.
3. Add powdered sugar and orange extract and mix till smooth again (it is advisable to taste the cheesecake to check if it is sweet enough).
4. Take a spoon. Take around 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture and mix with gelatin. Stir precisely, it needs to link.
5. Put the gelatin-cheesecake mixture back in a mixer's bowl. Mix precisely.
6. Add orange skin and mix again.
7. Pour on the bottom. Put in the fridge till it stiffens.
8. If desired - add icing and decorate for example with oranges, anise.
9. Keep in the fridge.
10. Bon Appetit! :)

Puff Pastry With Chicken

Well this recipe was born out of my curiosity and a need of trying something new with puff pastry that... may not appear to be edible ;) Surprisingly, it appeared to be very tasty :) What is it? My mum said it looks like a chicken mummy ;) Seriously speaking, this is stiffed with vegs and spicy chicken crunchy puff pastry :) worth trying!

Ingredients:

• Puff pastry*
• 500g of chicken breasts
• 500g of mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 1,5-2 peppers (not necessary red one)
• mascarpone/philadelphia (cream) cheese
• a couple of cheese slices (2-3 per one)
• spices: salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, basil
• 1 egg, beaten

Optional ingredients:

• green/black olives
• tomatoes (preferably dried)
• zucchini
• courgette
• carrot
• instead of an onion - a leek

* depending on a number of people eating there might be 2 packagings of puff pastry needed

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel (if necessary) and chop all the vegetables into cubes (zucchini, courgette and carrot might be cut into slices, though it doesn't matter that much).
2. Wash and cut chicken breasts into thin slices, season both sides with all the spices.
3. Take a frying pan, grease, put mushrooms and onion/leek, zucchini, courgette and carrot on it. Start frying, till bright gold (3-5 minutes). Turn off the heat, put aside till it cools down.
4. Prepare puff pastry, as the picture shows. (These pieces can be shorter, then, instead of 2-3 big ones, it is possible to get 4-6 smaller ones). It is good to leave the puff pastry on its paper (it's easier to move it later on the baking tray).
5. Start preheating the oven to 180C.
6. Add peppers to the frying pan and other additionals if desired.
7. Take the first piece of puff pastry. Distribute cream cheese on the bottom, put cheese on it, add chicken and 'sprinkle' with all the vegs. Cover with another pieces of cheese. Do up, like shoelaces. Repeat with all the pieces of puff pastry.
8. Take the beaten egg, put some on every top of prepared puff pastry chicken. 
9. Put in the oven for 25-30 minutes. If the top starts burning, cover the top with foil.
10. Bon Appetit!

Piña Colada Cake

Well I decided to make a birthday gift for myself. What could it be? Self-made cake seemed to be a perfect idea :) And so it was :) Soft sponge cake, refreshing pineapple, mouth-watering, sweet cream and tongue tickling shredded coconut. What else do a palate need? ;)

Recipe comes from Kwestia Smaku.

Some useful tips on 'before baking':

• It is better to use fresh pineapple, not tinned one.
• While mixing the sponge cake, remember to mix only in one direction!
• It is possible to prepare the sponge cake one day earlier.
• Actually, preparing the entire cake one day earlier is a fantastic idea - the cake is getting better and better with time! 
• A good idea to cut the sponge cake is to use a thread.
• It is possible to prepare that cake in non-alcohol version - don't impregnate the sponge cake with anything.
• If the coconut liqueur is unavailable, it is also a good idea to use rum.
• Instead of ricotta cheese it is possible to use ground curd cheese.
• About coconut milk: shake before opening the tin. If there is a transparent liquid - highly probably this coconut milk is useless and preparing the coconut cream will be impossible. It needs to be white, milk-like liquid, as the title says: 'coconut MILK' not 'coconut water'.

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake:

• 7 eggs
• 1 glass of sugar
• 1 glass of flour
• 1/3 glass of potato flour

Pineapple Mousse:

• 2 pineapples
• 2 tablespoons of coconut liqueur
• 2 flat tablespoons of potato flour

Coconut Cream:

• 1 (400ml) tin of coconut milk
• 1/4 glass of coconut liqueur
• 1 glass of sugar
• 500g of mascarpone cheese
• 250 g of ricotta cheese

Impregnating the sponge cake:

• 6-9 tablespoons of rum

Decoration:

• Shredded coconut
• pineapples leaves (if they are in good visual condition)

Preparation:

Sponge cake:

1. Take a springform cake tin, grease it and put the baking paper on the bottom. Grease the sides of the tin.
2. Take a bowl, mix flour with potato flour inside.
3. Start heating the oven to 170C.
4. Take a mixer and its bowl, separate egg whites from yolks so that egg whites are inside the mixer's bowl and yolks are - for example - in a glass.
5. Stir the yolks. Put aside and leave the spoon inside the glass.
6. Start beating the whites on a low rotation for 2 minutes. 
7. After those 2 minutes start adding sugar (gradually, one tablespoon after another).
8. Continute beating the whites on the highest rotation till stiff and shiny (around 7-10 minutes).
9. Without stopping the mixer, start adding the yolks (gradually, one spoon after another - another goes when the previous links perfectly with egg whites).
10. Stop the mixer.
11. Divide flours into 3 parts and add first part to the mixer's bowl. Stir very gently (not to destroy the foam) with a spoon till it links. After that, add the second part, stir and the third - stir again. (It is very important to stir slowly and precisely cause very often, in the middle or on the bottom of the bowl there is unlinked flour).
12. Pour the dough into previously prepared springform cake tin and bake for around 35 minutes in 170C.
13. After that time take it immidiately out of the oven, and throw on the kitchen's surface. Cool down.
14. When the cake is cold take a knife and cut the sides very near to the springform cake tin side, so that the cake can be taken out easily from the springform cake tin.
15. Now cut the sponge cake into 3 parts - using a knife or a thread.

Pineapple Mousse:

1. Cut the pulp, throw away the skins and hard, middle parts of both pineapples. 
2. Take one pineapple, cut the pulp into cubes and put inside a pot, add liqueur and start heating on a low heat for around 30 minutes, stiring from time to time not to let it burn. 
3. Cut the second pineapple into cubes as well and put aside.
4. Mix (using for example a blender) the boiled pineapple, add the second pineapple cut into cubes and start heating again. 
5. Take a glass, put a little water inside. Add potato flour, stir.
6. Add potato flour from the glass to the pot with pineapples. Boil till the mousse becomes really thick, like a jam.
7. Cool down.

Coconut Cream:

1. Take a pot. Put coconut milk and liqueur inside, add sugar and stir till the sugar melts.
2. Boil on an average heat for around 30-40 minutes till the substance getsreally thick (like a gum).
3. Cool down a little bit (it can't be cooled down completely cause it will be impossible to use it).
4. Take a bowl, put mascarpone and ricotta cheese inside. 
5. Using a mixer, mix it on a slow rotation. One spoon after another, keep adding coconut 'gum' while still mixing everything on a very slow rotation and make sure it links with both ricotta and mascarpone.

Preparing the cake:

1. Put the bottom sponge cake piece on a desired plate (it won't be possible to change the plate after preparing!).
2. Sprinkle with rum, put 1/2 of the pineapple mousse on it and 1/3 of the coconut cream. 
3. Put another piece of sponge cake on it. Sprinkle with rum, put the rest of pineapple mousse on it and 1/2 of the coconut cream (leave 1/2 of the coconut cream for the sides and the top of the cake).
4. Put the last piece of sponge cake on the top, sprinkle with rum, put coconut cream all over the cake - top and sides and sprinkle with shredded coconut (unlimited technique).
5. Decorate the top of the cake with the pineapple leaves - if possible.
6. Keep closed in a cake box, in the fridge.
7. Bon Appetit! :)

Caramel Brownie

We had a small family party last week, so I was preparing a big pineapple cake (recipe later ;) ) and simultaneously I was looking for something in totally different, opposite taste to my fresh, fruit, light sponge cake. That's when I found that recipe. Believe me, that's the best brownie I've ever eaten! Cruelly tasty, extremely chocochocolate with light, caramel cream, caramel sauce and crunchy peanuts. 
Precious advice: cut into small pieces. Thanks to that remorses for eating the cake are smaller ;)

I do recommend preparing it! ;)

Recipe comes from Kwestia Smaku

Chocolate cake:

• 200g of at least 70% dark chocolate
• 200g of butter
• 3 eggs
• 220g of sugar or powdered sugar
• 120g of flour

Caramel Cream:

• 67g of butter
• 1/2 glass of sugar
• 1/2 glass of water
• 2 glasses of powdered milk
• 100g of roasted peanuts
• 25g of mascarpone cheese

Caramel Sauce:

• 67g of butter
• 1/3 glass of sugar
• 1/2 glass of 36% cream
• 4 full tablespoons of glucose

Top:

• 150-200g of roasted peanuts

Preparation:

1. If you haven't found roasted peanuts, take a frying pan, put some peanuts on it, so that they cover the entire surface,and fry for few minutes till the colour is gold. 
2. Take the smallest rectangular tin you have, grease and cover with baking paper. I used springform cake tin, as it was my smallest one. And I do recommend using it, it will be very useful at the end, unless you have rectangular with removable sides. Of course it is possible to use bigger tin - but then all the ingredients need to be doubled. 

Brownie cake:

1. Take a double-bottom pot, put chocolate and butter inside, melt on a very low heat, stiring all the time (keep observing it, it starts burning very quickly! it needs to be a liquid). Put aside to let it cool down. 
2. Take a mixer and its bowl, put eggs and sugar inside, beat for around 7-10 minutes to get a bright, fluffy foam. 
3. When the chocolate is cooled down, start pouring it slowly to the beaten eggs, mixing all the time on the slowest mixer's rotation. 
4. Add flour, mix on the slowest rotation till it links. 
5. Pour the dough to previously prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes in 170C. 
6. After 25 minutes, take it out from the oven, cool down, in the tin.

Caramel Cream:

1. Take a pot, put butter inside, melt. Add sugar. Keep heating, on a low heat, stiring from time to time. Be careful not to burn it. 
2. When the sugar will start getting gold, add (be careful ! ) water and stir till the sugar melts again. 
3. Cool down a little and add powdered milk, gradually, stiring after every adding or mixing it. 
4. Add mascarpone and mix - again, using a blender of mixer (yes, it will be very thick). 
5. Chop the peanuts and add to the cream. Stir, using a spoon.

Caramel Sauce:

1. Take a pot, put butter inside, melt. Add sugar. Heat on a very low heat, stiring all the time. 
2. When the sugar will start getting gold, add (be careful ! ) 36% cream. 
3. Boil for a while, till the sugar melts again. 
4. Cool down a little, add glucose, stir, cool down completely.

Preparing the cake:

1. When the brownie cake is cooled down, take it out from the tin, cut across using a knife or a thread. Gently put one piece aside. 
2. Put one half of the caramel cream all over the 'bottom piece' of the cake. Put the second piece of the cake on it. 
3. Put the second half of the caramel creme all over the second piece. 
4. Now - advisably - put the cake back in a tin. 
5. Sprinkle with peanuts. 
6. Pour the caramel sauce all over the top (that's the moment when springform cake tin is perfect - nothing spills out) 
7. Put in the fridge for at least an hour so that everything stiffens. 
8. Take the cake out of the fridge, take out the side of the tin (blessed springform cake tin), cut into small pieces. 
9. Bon Appetit! :)

Semifreddo cake a'la Tiramisu

A few days ago, I was asked to prepare a Tiramisu... of course I will do it! my pleasure! But... it's summer.. it's so hot outside... and Tiramisu has a lot of cream which tends to melt... I found a brilliant, refreshing and delicious solution... ;) 

Recipe comes from: http://www.kwestiasmaku.com/desery/semifreddo/torcik_semifreddo/przepis.html but there are a lot of my private changes, as this recipe skips some more or less obvious activities. 

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs 
• 1/2 glass of sugar 
• 250g of mascarpone 
• 4-5 drops of vanilla extract 
• 1 teaspoon of lemon peel 
• 1-2 packagings of ladyfingers 
• 50-70 ml of chocolate/amaretto liqueur or a couple of drops of almond extract 
• cocoa and instant coffee (for sprinkling every tier) 

Optional ingredients - for a strawberry sauce: (I skipped that part and added caramel sauce): 

• 500 g of strawberries (either frozen or fresh) 
• some sugar for the taste* 
• 1 teaspoon of corn flour melted in 2 tablespoons of water 
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice 

*start from 2 tablespoons, taste, add more.

Preparation:

Strawberry sauce:

1. Defrost strawberries if frozen. Put in a pot, add sugar, boil for 7 minutes. Sieve. 
2. Add flour, boil, add lemon juice, boil. 

Semifreddo:

1. Take a loaf pan, put baking paper inside, so that some of it sticks out of the loaf pan. Put it in the freezer. 
2. Peel the lemon, squeeze, to get the juice, put aside. 
3. Separate egg yolks from whites, put in two different (quite big) bowls. 
4. Mix yolks with sugar on the highest rotation power of the mixer, till it gets smooth. 
5. Keep mixing - add mascarpone, vanilla extract and lemon peel. 
6. Beat the whites (around 7 minutes) 
7. Add whites to yolks. Stir gently. 
8. Take the loaf pan out of the freezer. 
9. Put the first tier of ladyfingers inside. Add some liqueur/almond extract*. Put some cream, sprinkle with cocoa and instant coffee. 
10. Repeat all the steps from 9 - ladyfingers, liqueur/extract, cream, cocoa+coffee. 
11. Put the foil on the top and put the cake into the freezer for at least 8 hours. 
12. Max 30 minutes before giving the cake to your guests, take as many portions as you need and put them in the fridge. The rest of the cake remains in the freezer. 
13. Add some sauce if you wish - caramel, chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, etc. 
14. Bon Appetit!

Tiramisu

Gourmet sensation. Always, in every variation :)

Recipe from this website, but changed, to fit a springform pan.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 packs of ladyfingers
• 300 ml of strong espresso
• 120 ml of Amaretto syrup
• 8 egg yolks (in a room temperature)
• 8 tablespoons of sugar
• 500 g of mascarpone (cold)
• cocoa (bitter one, for baking), to sprinkle the tiers and the top

Preparation:

1. Prepare yolks. They need to be in a room temperature.
2. Take a bowl. Prepare espresso, mix with Amaretto syrup in the bowl. Cool down.
3. Take a metal bowl, put yolks inside, add sugar and using a mixer, mix on its highest rotation for at least 8 minutes till you get thick, fluffy and light substance.*
4. Using a tablespoon, add one of mascarpone to yolks, mix (average rotation) till smooth, then add another, etc. till all the mascarpone is added. This cream needs to be thick and fluffy.
5. Take a springform pan, ladyfingers and all the bowls. 
6. Take 1 ladyfinger, put for 2 seconds in coffee-Amaretto mixture(2 seconds for both sides of a ladyfinger**), put in the springform pan. Repeat till you get one full tier of ladyfingers on the bottom of the springform pan.
7. Sprinkle it with cocoa, using a sieve.
8. Put the yolks-mascarpone cream on it (do not worry that cocoa mixes with the cream)
9. Put another tier of ladyfingers, cocoa, cream.
10. Repeat all the steps, till all the ingredients are gone. The top is the cream and cocoa.***
11. Put in the fridge for at least 3 hours (entire night is perfect, especially if the cream isn't thick enough)
12. It may stay in the fridge for few days. But I don't think it will ;)
13. Bon Appetit!

* This is the most important part of making a good Tiramisu. While beating, it is advisable not to move the mixer too often. Beaten yolks need to be thick, fluffy, bright. If they aren't - add special powder that will stiffen, consolidate it (in Poland - śmietan-fix). If you don't have such powder and the cream is wet, with water and is more like a liquid (which is bad) you can either use it - but then Tiramisu needs to stay in the fridge for the entire night (even though it won't fully fix it, there will be a problem with taking it out of the springform pan and cutting a decent piece to put on a plate) or prepare the cream from the very beginning - advisable. 

** It needs to be done quickly, otherwise ladyfingers will crumble.

*** It is possible to make 3 tiers out of this recipe. But I do not recommend it. With 3 tiers, there are too many ladyfingers and too little cream. 
It is better (both if it comes to its appearance and the easiness of taking it out) to finish on 2.