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! ;)

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! ;)

Warming Up Lemons

Are you a person who freezes when the temperature falls below 10C? And a real horror starts when it falls below -10C? Are you slowly getting more and more hopeless trying to warm yourself up? Well - here is a perfect idea for an evening warm up, when you don't need to bother about driving anywhere (cause we all remember, no driving after alcohol :) ). These lemons are just a perfect match with a hot tea, during a cold, winter evening :) Easy, cheap, really works :) If you are not an adult or you would like to give it to your children - prepare it without Rum.

Why didn't my grandparents tell me about it earlier? Or - why didn't I think of it earlier? Well... better late than never ;)

Before preparing:

• Make sure your lemons are scalded precisely.
• Lemon's skin may give a little bitter taste, so the skin can be peeled to avoid it.

Ingredients:

• 0,5kg of lemons (4-5 lemons, choose those with thin skin, beautifully yellow, with no darker spots)
• 100-150g of honey
• 20-40ml of Golden Rum (or more, depending on a personal taste)
• 1-2 teaspoons of sugar (optionally)

Preparation:

1. Prepare a clean jar.
2. Wash lemons and scald them with hot, boiling water.
3. Cut both edges of every lemon, throw them away.
4. Cut lemons into slices, put inside the jar.
5. Take a glass, put honey inside, add Rum(optionally) and stir precisely.
6. If desired - add sugar and stir till it melts.
7. Pour the mixture to the jar with lemons.
8. Close the jar and leave it in peace for 2-3 days.
9. It is good to shake the jar from time to time (for example once a day).
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! :)

Burning Bananas

I've always dreamt of preparing them. I have no idea why did it take me so long to do it. I think it is because of that 'burning part' that I was afraid of. But - in this case, there is no need to be afraid of fire :) Of course remember about all the necessary precautions against fire but it is not that scary :) 

And the effect - ahhh, wonderful :) And it is so easy to prepare it ! Unbelievable! :) Must try!

The inspiration for the recipe comes - surprisingly - from the packaging of cinnamon :) Changed, as always, works perfectly :)

Ingredients:

• 2-3 bananas (preferably hard ones)
• 40-50 g of butter
• 1/4 glass of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinammon
• 1 orange - squeezed, to get 1/4-1/2 glass of the orange juice
• 1/4-1/2 glass of Golden Rum or Whisky

Decoration:

• Ice cream - for example vanilla ones
• Whipped cream
• Any favourite sauce

Preparation:

1. Take bananas, wash, peel, cut - the length and breadth of them.*
2. Take a frying pan, put butter on it and start heating on the lowest heat, so that the butter melts. Add sugar** and cinammon. Stir.
3. Add bananas, boil, to get caramel. Stir from time to time.
4. When the caramel is ready, add orange juice and cover everything with a lid, to let the liquid thicken.
5. Add Golden Rum or Whisky. Stir.
6. Using a lighter or a matchstick, set bananas on fire.
7. Burn for a while. Damp down the fire by using a lid (but it will probably stop burning on its own).
8. Gently take them out from the frying pan and put on a plate.
9. Decorate.
10. Bon Appetit!! :)

*Even if you consider your bananas small and you are unwilling to cut them - I do recommend it, at least into halves, because after preparation, they get very soft and it is hard to take them out from the frying pan.

** If there is still too little butter and what you get is dry sugar - add a little more butter to get a liquid-like substance.

Rum & Ginger Pancakes

 Something new and quite unusual :) Very tasty :) I think it is hard(impossible!) to prepare awful pancakes ;) This is my own recipe, but the idea comes from the book I've mentioned some time ago ('Biblioteczka Poradnika Domowego. Naleśniki, placki, omlety').

You can prepare either rum pancakes or ginger pancakes or rum and ginger pankes. 

Ingredients for the basic pancake dough:

• 500 ml of milk
• around 300 g of flour*
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• 16 g (1 packaging) of vanilla sugar
• 1/2 glass of sugar (or less or a little more, depending on a personal taste)
• 1/2 or 1 flat teaspoon of baking powder

Additional ingredients:

• 1-4 teaspoons of rum (I used Golden Rum)**
• 1/3-1/2 teaspoon of grounded ginger***

* I don't measure flour - which is why it is 'around' 300g. The easiest way - put all the other ingredients in the bowl, mix and at the end start adding flour - the dough needs to be quite thick, it cannot be thin.

** and *** Be careful while adding rum and ginger as they're strong additionals. Add them step by step, tasting the dough every time, using a clean teaspoon everytime, though remember not to eat too much of the dough cause it causes stomachache.

Preparation:

1. Take a big bowl. Put all the ingredients inside, stir or mix till smooth.
2. Now you can add additional ingredients - whichever you wish and in a desired amount. If you want to have ginger and rum pancakes separately, you can make second basic dough in a different pot.
3. Take a big frying pan. Grease it with oil and start preheating on a low heat. After a few seconds, pour some dough on it and distribute the dough on the entire frying pan. Fry for around 30 seconds or more, on a low heat, till the dough congeals. Overturn when the colour is gold.
4. Decorate with a favourite additional ingredient - whipped cream, chocolate/caramel sauce, fruit, etc.
5. Bon Appetit! :)

Something wet... (Golden) Mojito

This is what Mojito literally means - 'something wet'. It seems to be a perfect drink - chilling and refreshing, it might be prepared as a traditional drink as well as a soft drink. I do recommend both versions.

Slightly changed, recipe comes from BBC Food.

This one, if prepared with an alcohol, is called 'Golden Mojito' as it is prepared with golden rum. Basic Mojito is prepared with white rum, though Mojito, on its own, has plenty of flavour variations.

Ingredients for one glass:

• 3-4 fresh mint sprigs* 
• 3 lime wedges (3/4 of a lime)
• 2½ teaspoon of sugar
• ice cubes
• soda water(=fizzy drink, tonic, sparkling water)

For decoration:

• fresh mint sprig, thin lime wedge, etc.

Optional ingredients:

• 25 ml of golden rum

*yes, sprigs, not only leaves. I've read that these enhance the drink's flavour as they contain some vital oils. But if you wish you can only use leaves from those sprigs.

Preparation:

1. Clean the mint springs. Dry them on paper towels.
2. Cut the lime into 4 wedges. 
3. Take a highball glass. Put 1 lime wedge, add 2 mint sprigs and sugar. 
4. Using for example a clean rolling pin (or a teaspoon), slightly muddle them (be careful not to break the glass) to release the flavour of the mint and lime. 
5. Put another lime wedge, another 2 mint sprigs and muddle again. Add the last lime wedge and muddle it as well.
6. Add ice cubes - almost as many as a glass can take.
7. Slowly pour the rum and soda. Using for example a clean latte spoon, stir.
8. Decorate the edges of the glass with mint or lime wedge, add a straw.
9. Bon Appetit! :)

Malakoff Cake

Deriving from Austria, this cake isn't as hard as it seems to be. Mostly, because it doesn't require turning on the oven even for a single second ;)

Personally, I wouldn't call it a gourmet sensation, but it is, indeed, very tasty and its appearance is impressive on the table.

The recipe comes from this website.

Ingredients:

• 25 dag/250g of ladyfingers 

Filling: 

• 1/2 jar of black currant/raspberry jelly 
• 1,5 glass of milk 
• 1 vanilla pudding 
• 4 tablespoons of sugar 
• 25 dag/250g of butter 
• 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar 
• 10 dag/100g almond flakes (the original recipe requires roasting them, but I skipped that part) 

Punch:

• 1/2 glass of white wine 
• 50 ml of rum 
• 2 teaspoons of sugar 

Decoration:

• whipped cream 
• whatever you want - you can use ready-made chocolate decorations, chocolate biscuits, (candied) cherries, blueberries, etc

Preparation:

1. Prepare the pudding (boil it with milk and sugar, as the  recipe on the packing says), cool it. 
2. Take a food processor, put the butter and powdered sugar inside and mix. Without stopping add one tablespoon of pudding, then another, till you mix all the pudding with butter and powdered sugar. 
3. Mix all the ingredients of the punch (use any container you want, even a glass)
4. Prepare a springform pan, cover the bottom with ladyfingers (preferably only one tier). Impregnate these ladyfingers with your punch. (1-2 teaspoons of punch per 1 ladyfinger is much enough, you'll see in what way your ladyfingers will react on 1 teaspoon of the punch - be careful not to make a mush)
5. Take the currant/raspberry jelly and using a spoon, put some spoons of the jelly on a different parts of the ladyfingers, then link so that it covers the entire surface of the cake.
6. Take the cream, prepared in the food processor, put a thick filling of it on the jelly. Don't worry if your jelly mixes a little with the cream. It is very hard to avoid it. If the entire surface is covered with cream, sprinkle it with some almond flakes. 
7. Repeat points 4-6(ladyfingers, jelly,cream, flakes) till all the ladyfingers are gone. (save some cream for the side of the cake)There should be 2-3 tiers. The last tier are almond flakes. 
8. Put your cake in the fridge.
9. When the cake (especially the cream) gets harder (after some time, 1-3 hours) take off the side and use the rest of the cream on the cake's side. Then sprinkle cake's side with almond flakes. 
10. Decorate the top of your cake with anything you want - biscuits, chocolate decorations, whipped cream, etc
11. Keep the cake in the fridge.
12. Bon appetit :)