We had two naughty girls to celebrate; however, I got 3 glasses. This way, we also celebrated Tedy, their brother.

You need—

75g blueberries

15g sugar

+

1 teaspoon of organic lemon zest

100ml whipping cream

15g sugar

Even if we’re talking about cats, our little ones love citrus fruits very much, especially lemons.

Blend the blueberries (I always store some over winter) with the lemon zest and sugar. After the latter dissolves, you’re ready to assemble the dessert.

Beat the whipping cream and the sugar.

Alternate the fruit and cream layers in Turkish tea glasses.

The result was light, fluffy, and spectacular!

As a surprise, Bundi didn’t hide her cravings and started the tasting!

I remember the torrid July in southern Bulgaria. It wasn’t one of my best days, but when the gentleman whose family restaurant we were having lunch at brought me the cup of fig ice cream, telling me it was their recipe for generations, I fell in love.

About a year and a half ago, on a hot day in Brasov this time around, I tried to recreate the dessert. And it worked!

Here’s the recipe.

You’ll need—

350ml whipping cream

20g sugar

100ml condensed milk

10 medium figs (200-215g)

Mix the sugar and the whipping cream.

Slowly add the condensed milk. Then, add the pieces of fresh figs.

Transfer the ’result’ into a large dish; freeze it overnight.

I fell in love with this cake in Lebanon (I have a special relationship with ’ashta’, the cream used everywhere in Phoenicia, anyway). I baked it for the first time on my birthday in 2023, adapting it (it’s not easy to bake with semolina!); I kept preparing it. This is what happens when a result is tasty!

For the cream:

In a large baking pan, mix and boil (low heat)

530ml whipping cream

420ml milk

67g flour

5 tbsp of sugar + 135g sugar

Before removing it from the heat, add a drop of

orange blossom water

rose water

You’ve made ashta.

Continue with the dough. 

In a bowl, mix

330g semolina

100g coconut or date sugar

3g baking powder

a pinch of salt

4 tbsp of sour cream

150g (melted and slightly cooled) butter

Divide the (sticky) dough into two equal parts; place the first part on the baking parchment by pressing fragments of the dough into the 34x24cm baking pan. (Don’t worry; it will all get homogenous through baking.) 

Sprinkle as many crushed pistachios as you like. 

Pour the ashta. 

Add another layer of crushed pistachios. 

Then, spread pieces of the remaining layer on top of the cake.

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven at 180°C.

Cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Savour it. It is a creamy and delicious cake, one of my favourite desserts ever! ♥

It was, in fact, my birthday cake. I hope you like it! (I tried it in summer when the tiny Cancerians turned 1 – and I used berries to decorate it.)

(for the) CRUST

1 tbsp of psyllium seeds

2 tbsp of (hot) water

125g gluten-free oatmeal

25g tapioca flour

60g (melted and cooled) butter

1 tbsp of apple vinegar

a pinch of sea salt

(for the) FILLING

140g condensed milk

70g whipping cream

210ml milk

2 tbsp of tapioca flour

+1 large pear

3-4 strawberries

2-3 tamarind pods

Make the crust using the recipe here.

Let the crust cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Add all the ingredients to the pan and let the mixture boil.

Pour the filling into the crust; decorate with pear and strawberry slices and tamarind paste.

 Let it sit in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. Then, savour it! ♥

Things seem to be falling into place.  I hope this goes for you, too! I was happy about today’s snow, hence the picture. ❄️

Today: whipping cream

What terrifies me the most when working with whipping cream? Whipping it (could the high room temperature ruin the chances for the whipped cream to form?)!

Where do I get whipping cream from? From Romania! It is delicious and filling.

Why do I love it? I’ve loved whipped cream since forever! When my Dad was in charge of the refrigeration system in the most famous local cake shop of those days (see what else led to my love for sweets?), I would get a kilo of whipped cream on certain days. I used to eat it with a teaspoon!  

How do I use it? Whipped cream is so versatile; I don’t know what to reply! I love it in savarine, colchão de noiva, and Pavlova.

I’ve been thinking... what cake should I make for the kittens on their birthday? They love whipped cream. And I had one butternut squash left. Wait a minute, this can actually work!

Ingredients used:

130-150g butternut squash

30g butter

5 tbsp brown sugar

50g biscuits

20g walnuts

150g whipping cream

20g sugar

Marcel cleaned the butternut squash, cut it into slices, and let it sit in the oven for about one hour in a baking pan lined with baking parchment, at 180-200⁰C.

Then, add three butternut squash slices to a pan (about 130-150g), together with the butter and the brown sugar, stirring until you get a homogenised mix.

Separately, crush 50g of biscuits in a blender, grind the walnuts, and whip the whipping cream and the sugar.

Use a big bowl (and 2 smaller ones) to set up your dessert: the butternut squash mix as your base, a ground walnut layer, a whipped cream layer, a crushed biscuit layer, another whipped cream layer, and the final crushed biscuit layer.

Who, in your opinion, licked the bowl where I whipped the cream? :D